Unique Programs » Imagine Syracuse El Sistema Music Program
Imagine Syracuse El Sistema Music Program
Last May, Imagine Syracuse contacted Cathedral Academy at Pompei and asked that we become one of the pilot programs in the USA for El Sistema, an international music instructional process created in Venezuela over thirty years ago. The original goal of El Sistema was to inspire hope in children and their families who lived in economically impoverished areas. The results in Venezuela were phenomenal. Children’s academic achievement rose and great musicians and orchestras emerged.
El Sistema’s success seems to be based on its authenticity related to child development and the beauty of the arts. Today, numerous countries around the world have adopted the El Sistema process for all children. The overarching theme of El Sistema, according to Eric Booth, musician and music historian, is, “Participating in beauty is the secular sacred.”
60 children at CAP, first through sixth grades, are now participating in the two-hour, daily, after school music program. Children have free instruments, free lessons, and a lot of fun. Their teachers and volunteers are professional and amateur musicians. The children sing, dance, play games, and practice with their group of woodwinds, strings, or brass instruments. Imagine Syracuse is able to sponsor the program with funds awarded from numerous grants. This allows for the rental of instruments from Music and Arts.
Our children will be evaluated throughout the program, using videotaped performances, interviews, and report card grades.
It is a delightful experience to observe the excellent teaching and learning at CAP’s after school El Sistema program. The first concert is scheduled for December 14, at Our Lady of Pompei/St Peter Church. Of course, our parish is invited! Volunteers are always welcome.