Toronto

Beloved singer-songwriter Raffi recently released a new song “ABC Democracy.”

One of Sistema Toronto’s newer programs brings musical opportunities to young people across the city through a partnership with Toronto Public Library.

Working in this field has shown us how a diverse, inclusive curriculum can activate a student’s passion and sense of self. At Sistema Toronto, our goal is to have repertoires that represent our students and the communities they live in. With that in mind, Sistema Toronto invited Juno-nominated reggae artist Jah’Mila to work with students at our Jane Finch Centre this March as part of a months-long exploration of reggae music titled Reggae Roots. Our students spent January and February preparing for three days of workshops led by Jah’Mila and a culminating concert.

A recent project by Sistema Toronto offers an impressive example of how young people are committing to environmental stewardship.

El Sistema Toronto students teamed up with award-winning Indigenous hip hop artist Cody Coyote and Juno-nominated Toronto rapper Saukrates to write and record “WAY: We Are Young,” a song that captures both the hopefulness and vulnerability of young people who are coming of age in a rapidly changing world.

When Toronto’s schools closed in March 2020, we knew we were in for a challenging spring of adapting to the technological and musical challenges of remote learning. We also knew that students would be struggling with feelings of isolation, anxiety, and boredom, and it would be vitally important for us to offer help with these emotional and social challenges. Luckily, we were somewhat prepared for the transition, thanks to our Social Curriculum activities. These activities had the potential to be a key support for our students and staff—as long as we could figure out an effective, accessible way to adapt them to the online format.

In the June 2018 issue of The World Ensemble, we enthusiastically reported that Sistema Toronto had been granted $500,000 by the Ontario provincial government as part of a significant new investment in arts education.

I was in a car on Saturday, March 24th, when in highly Venezuelan fashion, I was texted through WhatsApp with the sad news.  Maestro Abreu had passed.  My knee-jerk reaction was a professional reflex, one honed after many years in Maestro’s office:  confirm the news, get the facts, make a plan, offer assistance… For the rest of the ride, I was furiously typing and calling making sure the information was handled correctly and in as respectful a fashion as he merited.  The sniffling and tears were set aside; there was work to be done.