Extraordinary El Sistema by Romana Otockova

In Venezuela, there are quarter of a milion kids are doing the same thing, at the same time, in the same period. Six afternoons in the week, from 2pm to 6pm, they are intensively studying classical music. They are a part of radical social project, in which children, who live often in unthinkable circumstances, are given a chance to punch throught the poverty cycle.
The System, as it is known (the hefty official title of the organisation that runs the project is Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela) was born more than 30 years ago. These days, the System has government funding of $29 milion a year and it is considered as as a flagship of national achievement, with children from youth orchestras frequently accompanying the comandante on his excursions as head of state. The System is also attracting international imitators, so it means, its very popular all over the world.
For these very young children, the method uses singing, dancing, arts and crafts, and there's lots of focus on parents' involvement. The key, is that music is seen as play rather than a chore, so the kids don't push it away. Most of us who studied musical instrument as children remember desperately solitary, often boring hours practising alone. Here, everything is communal, everything is about the team. In the System, practice is supervised, which means that nothing can go wrong.
The System is also producing and exporting musicians of extraordinary quality. One of these is Edicson Ruiz, who, at 17, became the youngest ever bass player in the Berlin Philharmonic, then there is 25-year-old Gustavo Dudamel, who this year became chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.


related story: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/editorpick/rss_from_nodes/http60minutesyahoocomsegment184elsistema/28347366;_ylt=Auw_V_7_LKOyEIOM.5j5eiSs0NUE/*http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/184/el_sistema

by Romana Otockova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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edited bz beata Biskova