Global Leaders Program

The slogan of Orquestra Geração suggests something deeper than just playing music. The idea of touching lives (in Portuguese, “tocamos” means “we play/we touch”) asserts that we can positively transform the lives of children and young people through music, giving them a feeling of unlimited potential. What I didn’t know before teaching in this program was that the slogan would apply to me as well, and that my life would be so intensely touched and transformed.

Tlaxcala, located in the heart of Mexico, is one of the states with the greatest cultural activism in the country. In fact, it is a referent at the national level in terms of student participation of musical programs, a process inspired by the Venezuelan model “El Sistema”, which was first implemented in Tlaxcala 30 years ago. Within this process, the role of Casa de Música (Music Home)—an initiative of the Tlaxcalan Institute of Culture—has been very important, allowing for thousands the opportunity to approach a musical instrument through the different venues offered by the state.

In March 2019, I had the opportunity, through the Global Leaders Program, to be part of the professors’ team of the FUNSINCOPA Summer Camp at Panama City. The summer camp is a development opportunity for students who are already part of one of the FUNSINCOPA orchestras, and also for prospective new students who may or may not have music knowledge.

The Formation Center, founded in 2005 by the Missionary Society of Saint Paul (MSSP), aims to improve the lives of young people in the Bataan province and to eventually build a vibrant community through its orchestra program.  Father Joseph Cremona (Father Joe), who has been  with the parish since its inception, observed that in the beginning, “the parish center quickly became a safe space where the children could gather instead of roaming around the village streets.”

It’s 4:30 on a Thursday afternoon in Quiindy, and the Gaete household is humming. Silvia is humming Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 while she prepares dinner for the family with her husband, Juan, who taps along rhythmically as he sets the table.