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U.S. Programs Are Approaching ‘The Middle’ of Their Movement. Now What?

Christopher Schroeder, Executive Director, Boston Music Project

07-08-2026

There are seasons in any movement. The beginning, that electric moment when a new idea catches fire, is unforgettable. So is the end, when a movement gains a permanent foothold in society. But the middle—the developing stage—is different. The middle is where the path is no longer clear, where the just cause and the strategies for seeing it through are both tested. It’s my impression that, in many places of the world, El Sistema-inspired programs find themselves in that adolescent stage.

These growing years are critical to our future as a movement—just as the adolescent years are critical to our students’ growth. Here are a few discoveries being made by U.S. programs I’m familiar with, shared with the hope that they resonate with programs around the world.

Building a Culture of Artivism Across Europe

Sevi Matsakidou, Educational, Research, and Advocacy Manager, El Sistema Greece

07-08-2026

Like many organizations across Europe, El Sistema Greece draws part of its support from European Union programs. While our work has always focused on music and social change, we’ve recently partnered with organizations beyond the music sector to explore something broader: “artivism” across different art forms. This collaboration led to the launch of a new project, co-funded with the EU and dedicated to empowering young people, especially those with fewer opportunities.

In Overlooked Spaces, Art and Dignity Flourish

David Norville, Director of Development and Communications, Project: Music Heals Us

07-08-2026

In the winter of 2013, Project: Music Heals Us Founder Molly Carr shattered a glass bowl into her left hand on the eve of her concert tour, halting her performing career. In the months that followed, she enrolled in a nursing aide course through the American Red Cross and was assigned to work with Ruth, a late-stage Alzheimer’s patient who, staff warned her, hadn’t spoken in years. The advice she received was practical: get in, get the job done, harden yourself to the screams, and get out.

She knew that the care and attention all people need required something more. So she sat down, held Ruth’s hand in silence, and Ruth, the woman who had not spoken in years, turned and began speaking in complete sentences.

Molly came back every day of that residency. On the last day, she promised Ruth that she would return, and bring her viola next time.

Reaching Across Continents to Help Children Make Music

Jef Neve, Belgian classical and jazz pianist and composer

07-08-2026

About 15 years ago, when I was on tour in Africa, I was lucky enough to meet the late Bob Collymore, Founder/CEO of Safaricom Kenya and one of the most inspiring people on the planet. I performed at the Safaricom headquarters for all the employees; Bob was immediately enthusiastic about bringing more jazz to Nairobi, and he decided to launch the Safaricom International Jazz Festival. He organized the festival setup, and I helped him with the programming.

GUEST PERSPECTIVE
When Art and Music Create a Shared Listening Space

Giovanni Acquilino, 2025 Cohort Member, Global Leaders Institute

07-08-2026

What does visual art have to do with listening?

It’s an unusual question—but one that’s well worth exploring, as I discovered recently when I attended Sguardi Paralleli (Parallel Glances) – Art Therapy and Autism: Art as Language, an exhibition held in Alassio, Italy and curated by art therapist Carla Paura.

In South Africa, a Marimba Band Moves with the Music

Thandeka Dlamini, Band Manager, Organizer, and Coach, Goede Hoop Marimba Band

06-03-2026

Since 2014, the Goede Hoop Marimba Band has operated in Boksburg, Gauteng, a small South African town in the smallest South African province. The band started in 2014 at the Goede Hoop Primary School, the hub where all practice takes place, as a way of keeping children out of the streets after school, committing them to something that could positively impact their future, and strengthening their community bonds.

Music in an “Off” Year: MiniSEYO Launches an Eclectic Format in Italy

Maria Majno, SONG President and Sistema Europe Vice President, and Nicola Tomasi, Project Coordinator, MiniSEYO

06-03-2026

Since the inception of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra in 2012, our international network has created SEYO summer camps every two or three years, bringing young people together from different countries for a week of rehearsing and performing together. It’s an exciting tradition!—and its only downside is the restlessness of the participating members…during the “off” years, when camps don’t take place. 

From Program to Public Infrastructure: The Evolution of Dream Arts

Jeehye Suh, CEO, Inculture Consulting (Rep. of Korea); Adjunct Professor, Korea National University of Arts

06-03-2026

When we first designed the Dream Orchestra in 2010, we saw “isolation” as one of the most urgent conditions in children’s lives. At the time, the intensity of college entrance competition had already reached elementary school, and many children were being pushed into highly competitive, lonely environments.

Fifteen years later, children’s lives have not become easier. They remain caught in the competitive trap of the education system while social and economic inequality continues to deepen their vulnerability. Declining physical and mental wellbeing, weakened community ties, and the replacement of direct relationships with media-based activities have also left them increasingly disconnected.

In Their Words: The Flying Carpet Festival’s Sahba Aminikia

Sahba Aminikia, Founder, The Flying Carpet Festival, as told to The Ensemble

06-03-2026

Late last year, the Flying Carpet Festival was honored with an Aga Khan Music Award, given to organizations that display “exceptional creativity, promise, and enterprise in music performance, creation, education, preservation and revitalisation in societies across the world in which Muslims have a significant presence.” Founded in 2018, the Flying Carpet Festival is a traveling artist residency, or mobile festival, based in Southeast Turkey but operating in many of that region’s conflict areas. Having first covered their work last year, The Ensemble recently spoke with Founder Sahba Aminikia about receiving the award, working in areas of conflict and displacement, and how he is learning and growing alongside the program.

Dispatches from an Inspiring Trip to Superar Budapest

Danielle Williams, Director of Education, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra OrchKids, Maryland, USA

05-06-2026

If I could offer a travel tip to anyone lucky enough to visit another city or country, it would be this: reach out to a local El Sistema-inspired program, or a similar music for social change program, and visit it! Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of visiting such programs across five continents, learning from colleagues who share a common mission while working in vastly different contexts.

During my spring break this year, a trip to the beautiful country of Hungary led me to connect with the wonderful team at Superar Budapest. What began as a simple visit quickly turned into something much more.

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