Venezuela 3: What Is Social Change After All?

In shadow of recent national events, the country is now in a seven day mourning period with schools and related activities (including el Sistema) suspended until Monday. This is giving us a few extra days to discuss questions and debrief more fully. Some questions that came up in some great discussions yesterday and am now exploring follow. I am making no claims, only posing questions/viewpoints I've observed. I'd like to preface this after having read Geoff Baker's blog with this data is based on mostly observation in a normal classroom with a few private interviews with parents/teachers. However, the time spent at each place has been no more than one day.

I'd like to start by discussing this whole notion of social change and how we perceive it in the US vs. here. From what I can gather, it seems here by providing them with such a positive, intensive, and safe place where lots of children their own age/friends are, they are automatically creating a community and that is social change (thought courtesy of my dear friend/colleague Rachel). One mother said communities are changed because they can now talk about music, isn't that enough? As I'm sure some of you know, I tend to overthink and analyze, and I ponder, could it really be this simple? It's not in the way they are addressing the holistic child, reaching out to social services, or providing youth development as we strive for in the US. It's the fact they're in a positive, social environment, and giving children possibilities.that they couldn't access. That mother commutes by taking two buses to the nucleo we visited in Tamaca outside of Barquisimeto because she understands the importance of music after seeing her older son go through El Sistema and now sing in the professional choir and the waiting list is huge at Barquisimeto along with the fact that at Barquisimeto they're all amazing musicians and Tamaca has given her daughter a chance to read music and fully develop musical skills.

Before we arrived here we had a workshop on aesthetic education and a constant theme in the fellowship this year has been facilitative teaching, or engaging the child in new ways or ways that cater to their own learning style. However, here it seems to be all in the same way, the way that Jonathan Govias posits as the way children learn: observe, imitate, repeat. Regardless of other learning styles, this is the way they have taught over 400,000 children this year alone (about 2.5 million total) with no exception. Please again accept my generalizations as I by no means have seen every nucleo in VZ, but from the ones I have observed, this has been consistently true. My fellow fellows, esp brass, say they are exhausted at the end of the day because children are asking them how to play A-Z and rather than helping them with their own technique, they merely want to hear how it sounds played correctly. Something that to me sounds very similar to the Suzuki method. Another pillar of Suzuki is the Every Child Can concept which resonates strongly in El Sistema.

 In Tamaca, I sat in on a musical literacy class (which in the States we would most likely call theory). and they had their exercises they were saying the solfegge. Note I didn't say sing. The teacher and a proficient student began by saying the exercise with them and little by little the students had to say it without the teacher. They hear the exercise whether it be theory or a passage in a piece and replicate it automatically, without necessarily grasping the understanding of what they're doing. The automaticity of it is something The Talent Code describes as imperative in developing myelin, the insulation that wraps around neurons and the reason for the 10,000 hour rule. As one does something more and more automatically, it becomes ingrained and then the understanding occurs (for instance, reading the notes rather than mimicking them). And clearly it's worked, at least in this country. I'd like to ascertain the notion that perhaps this too could work in our country and pose the question of are these other things (aesthetic education, youth development focus, etc etc) necessary? They're wonderful things, but if we're "preserving the core" are they key ingredients or are they icing on the cake?

My last stop of the day was the Parent Choir which consisted of 4 parents that day, an electric keyboard, and a trumpet studio next door (this was an open air building). We tried to learn a song and I have such a respect for their determination despite the trumpet studio next door. I ended up giving a piano/theory lesson to their director, teaching the circle of 5ths and scale fingerings. I then showed her how to read the music and play piano without having to look at your fingers each note by seeing the distance between the notes instead of the precise note.

 Tamaca parent choir

Conservatory student-led chamber choir, using the cuatro as a point of reference

Learning Mahler in a Day

We arrived at the Conservatory in Barquisimeto and were told people were rehearsing for auditions occurring tomorrow to go to the Salzburg Festival in July. After listening to the woodwinds for a half hour, going down the line individually singing and then playing adding note by note slowly and then in rhythm, I saw the title and composer of the piece: Symphony I by Mahler! I then found out these students had played for less than two years, were between the ages of 9-11 and, most impressively, reading the piece for the first time and treating it like any other passage or etude.

A huge advantage almost all countries have is using solfegge syllables as the actual note names.  In America, we try to use solfegge and then change to note names, which is like having to learn two different languages whereas here, they learn the solfegge and go straight to playing it because those are the note names.

I was amazed at the discipline the rest of the section exhibited while the conductor worked with each student one on one and aside from students fingering the music, they sat there patiently waiting. I saw a clarinetist tap a bassoonist on the shoulder to help him count, but more than anything I was shocked that these children were literally going to learn a whole Mahler movement in ONE day (8:30-6) with an excused absence from school. And I have no doubt they're practicing their hearts out right now and will do well tomorrow.

I also met my first teacher who was in college and studying something outside of the music world and teaching just as a job. The choirs continue to have an amazing tone, have three parts with all ages, and are working on doing a Disney musical with all five levels of choirs, including a professional one. Something I found really interesting that demonstrates the importance of mentorship/leadership is most students are in two choirs. When they get accepted to the new level, they stay in the old level so as to keep the level of the choir as excellent and be role models.

Days like today really make me question because I feel like I have the most simplistic answer to the music phenomenon that occurs here and it feels too simple: repetition, repetition, repetition, and as soon as something is wrong, the student is stopped instantly and they start the passage over again. The few times they did run through it and a student did mess up they used the "go ahead" method, jumping back in as soon as they could and not preoccupying themselves with the wrong note. It was incredible to hear excerpts and echoes of Mahler all over the conservatory. Because of space issues, many students were practicing in the hallways and being an open space, students could hear other students practicing, which when practicing correctly, can be an incredible asset to hear the piece played correctly while you are practicing it. And because these kids are moving and pushed, they work them hard and there's no opportunity for them to be squirrely. The few times focus was lost, they were reminded of respect, or that they had an audition tomorrow, something greater than themselves and a goal to achieve.

I still want to know their secret for how students sat so obediently and quietly while they worked with one student individually, but enough secrets were undiscovered today, or so I think.

 300 students auditioned for the orchestra in this region alone!

Entering the building on the big day

Venezuela 1: First Impressions, Caracas

Week 1 Caracas: Centre for Social Action and music, Montalban, La Rinconada, Eurobuilding, El Sistema meetings

A place I loved and called home for eight months during college has been so different this trip because for the first time I am a visitor, not a resident. I'm being spoiled staying at a five star hotel where I can swim every morning and have endless food and everyone is " a la orden" at our service, with extra and special gratitude to Rodrigo Guerrero, El SIstema's International Deputy Officer. This generosity and hospitality is so uncommon in the US, at this level anyway.  I am going to different places daily and merely observing the different nucleos and documenting them, saving interpretation and how I can connect it/what is relevant for me til later. I write this as I sit by the pool looking at the grandeur of La Avila, the city's north star. that I saw from the top via teleferico  Because of limited internet access and my notoriety for writing anything-but-concise blogs, I have decided to write a six sense poem each day and share those along with nuggets of daily takeaways on my Twitter. Some may be reposted here, but this will mostly be reflections. You should check out my fellow fellows pages if you want a narrative of what we're doing: http://rachbrakes.blogspot.com, http://roldancarlos.wordpress.com, http://eliseseymour.wordpress.com, http://andrealandin.blogspot.com

So far I think the thing that has left the largest impression on me is the scale of El Sistema with between 1200-1500 students at EACH nucleo each day, and at the new Centro de Accion Social para la Musica (Centre for Music and Social Action), 2000 students use their practice rooms, computer lab with compositional software, rehearsal and performing spaces, and soon-to-be library. Best of all, this is FREE for all students, including the performances that occur there. Last night I had the privilege to watch the Simon Bolivar Symphonic Band that not only had a full band and percussion, but also a full lower strings section. I don't think I've ever seen a performer having so much fun.She not only looked like she wanted to be there, but that she could not have enjoyed doing anything else at that moment, literally having the time of her life.

Another large impression has been the "down-to-the-doornknob" detail that is so evident in design, specifically with the CAS design of having doorknowbs that people can push with their bodies so that they can enter a room with their hands full or with a heavy instrument in hand.  Something that really struck me was the attention to aesthetics in each space, the visual design. The rooms were not only aesthetically beautiful, but supported local Latin American artsts, and even had a space to host a gallery. The chairs were not a dim maroon or black as in most concert halls, but a vibrant, neon zigzag design. The idea is that the space should match the beautiful sound that occurs in the space.

A third impression is the true accessibility El Sistema has made. Not only do they provide a vocational school for aspring luthiers, but they also provide a special school for those with limb paralysis caused by gunwounds and traffic accidents. A quote illustrating the specific need El Sistema provides was from one of these students who commutes two hours each way to attend the workshop, "I had done IT before, but that skill didn't create a community with harmony." The instructor mentioned the therapeutical aspect of having all students who had suffered from a traumatic incident and the comraderie and support created among them So beautiful! I might add that to get to this site, we had to cross the GNB (Guarderos Nacionales Bolivares) who took our passports and were there because the Cuban embassy was nearby and it was the 20th anniversary of Chavez's coup. We've been highly encouraged not to speak about politics, as the country is highly divided and the uncertainty of Chavez's status only heightens these passionate beliefs.

My favorite nucleo thus far was La Serria. The students played at a high level, was partially outside, the choir was singing three part harmony acapella after only one month of singing, and the kids were so precious asking when we were going to return. They obviously were not used to seeing gringas like myself as they asked why I had blue eyes. We signed a guestbook and our very own Rachel conducted the orchestra! I asked the choir teacher her secret and she said discipline, focus, and repetition, and the fact that she rehearses with each section separately and has a teacher initially singing with them. I've noticed this "drill and kill" approach at all the nucleos thus far and wonder if it can really be just that simple. I'm anxious to try.

Pics are now on Facebook.

Signing off from Barquisimeto after a beautiful drive through the Venezuelan mountains and countryside and a belly full of a cachapa (a sweet corn pancake) and the most delicious fresh squeezed mora juice (something between a blackberry and raspberry).

 The juices are amazing (left to right): peach, berry, and strawberry

 Top of La Avila

 Caracas from La Avila

Best graffiti I've seen (the orchestra is the best x100) 

 Percussion sectional at La Serria

Musical Literacy 5-7 yr olds, Montalban

Top of Centro de Acción para la Música

Pre-Venezuela Thoughts: Bad Luck. Good Luck. Who Knows?

And now for some last minute thoughts and revelations before taking off to Venezuela. This time tomorrow I will be (hopefully) asleep in transit on an airplane to Caracas!!

To go off Rachel's blog post (http://rachbrakes.blogspot.com) on grey space, so few things in life are an immutable, static black or white. I think some things in life are black and white, but can easily fade to grey, which made me have a revelation, even if perhaps obvious. 

Nothing is constant. You think you have X job, but who's not to say you won't be offered a more appealing one or have a circumstance that requires you to relocate. Relationships..we won't even go there with the divorce rate now being well over 50%. And places..well this is really where it applied. I realized today how transient of a place Boston is and how much I truly love Boston for the place, not the people. The only other place this has happened is MN. You can't base how much you like/dislike a place on the people because those can (and will) change. Next year, most if not all the Fellows will be out of Boston, but what does Boston provide regardless of people? I am reminded of my other homes: Decorah where I loved the place and people, though will admit I could never live there now that the people are gone, Tanzania-where I didn't like the place and didn't know the people so it was a bad fit but certainly a wonderful experience, and Chile-a great place, but not my favorite people. 

All this makes me realize that perhaps the reason the whole "settling down" thing is appealing to so many, is this desire to have constants, and decrease the unknown (grey space). If I bought a house, were married, and had children, it would be pretty hard for the major building blocks of life as I know it to change. I heard a friend today said, "I really like where I'm at, my housemates and network I've built, but I'm sure something bigger and better will come." We as Americans certainly like this idea of "bigger and better." But may I posit is bigger always better? And is better always bigger? The way we think is very linear. A career path parallels a ladder, our life cycle and timelines are lines from beginning to END. This word causes so many problems because it is a fixed point, eliminates grey space, but also eliminates new possibilities. For some, this is a good thing because it allows one to raise a family in a stable environment. But for me, that sounds like "stuck," "trapped", or any other rooted word. The beautiful thing about the majority of life decisions is because there is no constant, you can change. You can change your job, significant other, friends, apartment/housemates, schools, and anything else that is not owned. But when you start to own a car, house, or have a life partner or child, these types of decisions are close to impossible to undo. Ideally, this would be a good thing because you love it/him/her, but I like the idea that I can make a mistake, learn from it, and alter my path if needed/desired. It makes decisions far less daunting (and goodness knows how good I am at making those) because I know I can change it if need be. 

Which brings me to my final revelation, which relates back to the mantra of you creating your own reality, or rather how you perceive your situation greatly affects your reality. Today I heard the two dichotomous words creeping up in conversation: "good" and "bad." We as humans or at least Americans love labels. "That was such a BAD decision." "I really made the RIGHT decision." But I want you to reflect on something that, at the time, you probably thought was a "bad" decision. I'm sure there was a post-rejection period from a job, crush, or other life opportunity where you didn't feel so great. But, then reflect on what happened after that, it could be a few months or years down the road, and it could be several. What opportunity presented itself that wouldn't have presented itself had that rejection not occurred? That second decision that you actually executed/experienced, was a "better" decision in that you were a better match for that position than the initial pursuit even if you desired that. It makes me think of a Zen story I heard a few weeks ago about a farmer. 

An old Zen story goes like this: An old Chinese farmer had a mare that broke through the fence and ran away. When his neighbors learned of it, they came to the farmer and said, "What bad luck this is. You don't have a horse during planting season." The farmer listened and then replied, "Bad luck, good luck. Who knows? A few days later, the mare returned with two stallions. When the neighbors learned of it, they visited the farmer. "You are now a rich man. What good fortune this is," they said. The farmer listened and again replied, "Good fortune, bad fortune. Who knows?" Later that day, the farmer's only son was thrown from one of the stallions and broke his leg. When the neighbors heard about it, they came to the farmer. "It is planting season and now there is no one to help you," they said. "This is truly bad luck." The farmer listened, and once more he said, "Bad luck, good luck. Who knows?" The very next day, the emperor's army rode into the town and conscripted the eldest son in every family. Only the farmer's son with his broken leg remained behind. Soon the neighbors arrived. Tearfully, they said, "Yours is the only son who was not taken from his family and sent to war. What good fortune this is..." 

If we write a decision/experience off as "good" or "bad", we usually miss the opportunity to learn, grow, challenge, and change. I challenge you, to see the growth opportunity next time a "bad" thing happens. Of course I am not stating there is no such thing as tragedy, catastrophe, or that everything happens for a reason. Only that, we can more fully live life to the fullest (and probably waste less time and hopefully fewer unproductive emotional states) if we take each thing in life as an opportunity. 

This is my mindset for the upcoming trip to Venezuela. No expectations. Only an opportunity to learn, question, grow, and hopefully with time, influence change on the US Sistema field as needed. 

Economic Value of Creating Creative Communities

This morning I had the pleasure of speaking with Felipe Buitrago from the IDB who inspired this entry. He spoke a lot about the economic value of creative communities. Instead of manufacturing an economic commodity, we are manufacturing minds. It is an investment, but overall there is a high economic return. We can equate things like Grammys won and other musical successes to a quantitative number. We can see how many are employed, etc. Competitions are an opportunity. His objective is not to make everyone a phenomenal musician, but rather create the space to provide the opportunity to foster musicians. Sound familiar?

In past blog posts, I've mentioned Finland's emphasis (among others) on arts education, but because this information came from a Colombian who now works for the InterAMERICAN Development Bank, this will be Latin-tinged. Colombia began a whole new mindset in 1991 when they wrote their Constitution of 1991 that said among other things, all music types must be accepted and treated equally. If the government was going to support rock, they had to support all rock, not just classic, heavy metal, etc. etc. As a result, competitions became solely things one could observe (how many years of experience, did they exhibit X) rather than judging quality. That was up to the audience to decide. I won't pass judgments and say this is right or wrong, but it is certainly a pique interest in the field; how do we evaluate excellence and minimize biases? The other part of the 1991 Constitution was the new mindset that took place gradually of being open to other religions, sexual preferences, and in general bursting outside the rooted, "traditional" Colombian mindset bubble.

The IDB is now initiating a project not only acknowledging the economic impact countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, and Mexico have had through art, but acknowledging the transfer that SA can have on North America and not constantly only going the other direction. I also learned about the IDB's financial structure and only 18 of 44 members are not clients, the US being one of them. This means that the IDB can't spend money on arts programs across the country, though it can in DC...

That conversation was a reminder of the path from which I initially sought and honestly haven't completely ruled out. International development from a cultural perspective is still something that very much intrigues me and the conversations today paralleled El Sistema to a tee. I was also thrilled to find out the National Endowment for the Arts is conducting a similar study of measuring the economic value of art: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/national-endowment-arts_n_2024994.html

As always, comments welcome!

The Outspoken Tune of El Sistema: Choir

With a little over a week left before the big departure, I have decided to write up an entry with my hopes of what I will see while I am down there. Coming from the choral side of things, I realize as are many of the fellows this year, not the "traditional" El Sistema aficionado, having no experience with the strings side of things. But recently, I think people are unaware how renowned the choral side of El Sistema is, specifically Schola Cantorum and the White Hands choir. I'm not sure why this side doesn't receive the same amount of publicity or touring that the SBSO seems to, but I really want to correct the notion that El Sistema is only for orchestras. I certainly understand the argument that most children have exposure to choir, but many do not have exposure to the instruments involved to be in an orchestra. But even if children sing in a group at their church (this was the main assumption where access would be provided) is it with the rigor and excellence that could be manifested through an ES-inspired program?

 Finally, El Sistema choral programs are starting to emerge: Sister Cities Girl Choir and Atlanta Music Project's AMPlify. But we still have a long way to go in terms of awareness and publicity to be on par with orchestras. I don't mean this solely in a competitive tone. I mean this to illustrate the demonstrative power choir can have on a community and the excellence that can be achieved through this. The fact that anyone can sing, parent, child, 3 yr old, 70 yr old. The fact that it can be performed anywhere. And the fact that in addition to children intrinsically reading, the power of words can add that extra "heart-tugging" layer that orchestras simply cannot do. Of course this is a biased statement, but how many of us carry around that famous quote, adage, or mantra daily. Imagine if that could be exemplified and multiplied through children's voices!

Yesterday, I had a very unique and blessed experience to participate with Afghanistan National Institute of Music's students, learning ragas and other Indian classical concepts, Afghan folk songs, and a melodic dance song that is still ringing in my ears. Whenever I will reflect on this song, I will think of the two girls playing a piano duet, or the gaggle of girls who taught us the song, so innocent and softspoken, or sitting on the carpet listening to the tabla drums and sarote, all memories realizing that ANIM is one of the few co-ed schools where young girls like these can have access to things like piano lessons. Yesterday was the type of event that is hard to blog about, actions speak louder than words. I can say it was an incredibly memorable day, not only learning about new musical concepts and repertoire, but once again seeing the true power of music in a community where music was banned less than a decade ago. http://www.afghanistannationalinstituteofmusic.org

Inclement Weather: Nemo 2013

I first wanted to blog because I did something historical, I trekked 1+ mile in Nemo (apparently they're now naming blizzards), the largest blizzard since '78 with 30+ mph winds and 9 inches of snow accumulated in one evening. I went to a friend's house earlier in the day and because the roads were closed to cars decided I'd have some fun "skiing" on a bike. It was a joyride and not dangerous since only walkers and the occasional obsequious flashing plows were out. I arrived and decided locking up the bike would be pointless so I shoved it under the front porch, safe from the storm. After some food, board gaming, and embracing the winter wonderland, I went outside to see how crazy it was to trek home. Descending the stairs I came up waist high in snow and had a sudden urge to do nothing but frolic. I went to my bike, which while not completely buried was certainly snow-covered with wind speeds at 35 mph. For amusement sake only, I went out to the road and successfully pedaled three revolutions before losing traction/balance. And then turning onto the immediate side street couldn't successfully cycle one revolution. Keep in mind the snow was past the front tires of most cars. But by that point a challenge had been planted in my mind and the thought of my bed and clean brushed teeth enticed me enough to accept it. I was going to walk the 1+ mile home, even though a couch was a perfectly welcome option. I made it to the main street and then the wind gust's bitter chill and ice prickled my face, despite the hood, scarf, and jacket up to my nose. I realized perhaps I had made the "wrong" choice, but I had already embarked and was ready to encounter Nemo firsthand. Keep in mind I saw 10+ people in the middle of the street, out for a walk, and if I hadn't been walking a bike, I would have blended into the 1:30 am Centre St scene well. But I was and despite passing 5+ plows, trucks, and bulldozer plows, attempting to keep the roads "clear", it was more like snowshoeing with the added challenge of a useless wheeled accessory alongside me. If I had simply been walking south, it wouldn't have been a feat, but alas I had to walk north (the direction of the wind). I realized the only way I was going to handle the blizzard for the duration required was to walk backward and push the bike, which mitigated the wind completely. Sooner than later, I was more than halfway, and realized I could do it. Despite not being able to look anywhere but the ground (or backwards), I glimpsed forward seeing the Boylston traffic light blurred in the distance, knowing I would soon be home. I arrived, with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that I really did just walk 1+ mile in the record-breaking snowfall day and largest blizzard since '78. Sure, this may have been "stupid" and "unnecessary" suggesting I should have taken the comfortable, "no pain no gain" route of the friend's couch, but for whatever reason I had a drive and determination to circumvent the blizzard by truly embracing it. When I got to where the steps of my house usually are, there was nothing but a large snow drift and I decided, despite the fact it would be unnoticed by morning, I would shovel the walkway. Once I turned out of the north direction, the stinging and frigid wind immediately ceased and it was nothing but a glimmering winter wonderland. And somehow the trek had rejuvenated me, perhaps from being so stir crazy all day.

I tell you this story because aside from the crazy, illogical, and perhaps preposterous decision I made,  I reflect a significant portion of who I am and for those who know me well, I'm guessing the above anecdote doesn't surprise you greatly. I've always known I've thrived on the uncomfortable, unpredicted, and more challenging path, but I think tonight I realized it's not only that I thrive on it, but on some level it is a necessity of my life. The love of adventure, the zeal and drive required, the innovation of how to surpass obstacles, the humor needed to walk in a blizzard, the need to physically experience the blizzard, and the achievement and satisfaction attained once the journey has been taken, these are all key elements to my personal core and for me, my favorite memories contain these. Some might think it a bit crazy to have sought out the chance to experience a blizzard. But I think as music requires both tensions and resolutions, we need obstacles and challenges to attain the success and satisfaction one receives from a job well done. I can now appreciate in a new and tangible way my heat, my dry clothes, my bed, and my fortune for having arrived safely. Had I stayed on the couch, I would have slothfully fallen asleep on a foreign couch and missed the rarity of such an event. And let's face it the story wouldn't have been the same!

What obstacles and challenges will I encounter in the remaining semester, especially as we embark to Venezuela (in a little over two weeks!)? I am unsure, but can ascertain that the story of how we overcome them and the strengthening of friendships that will be sure to follow will remain in my mind long after the initial journey is over and will be lessons that not only build character, but help shape future decisions and experiences. The challenge is needed to fully appreciate the good. Very rarely are the "good times" the easy times. They are the times when satisfaction and accomplishment and most often times growth have been attained. So I ask you, are you ready to experience inclement weather (or whatever obstacle), not just from a window watching complacently, but truly experiencing it firsthand, bitter, cold wind, and all?