Indianapolis

As a first-time attendee at the El Sistema USA Symposium, an annual event that brings together people from across the U.S. who are involved in Sistema-inspired work, I didn’t quite know what to expect. But the experience was invaluable. It took place June 13-15, and I am still buzzing with inspiration and excitement about being part of the El Sistema community. 

During the fall of 2020, I participated in the Chicago Metamorphosis Orchestra Project’s (ChiMOP) new Alumni Internship Program (CAIP). CAIP was designed to offer recent ChiMOP graduates hands-on leadership experience during program hours as well as introductory-level job experience behind the scenes—helping staff with everything from lesson planning to administrative tasks. I signed up to gain experience, having never done anything like it before (unless you count trying to teach small groups of little ones while still a student myself). At first, it was a difficult adjustment. I worried that it would be a lot of work that didn’t come naturally to me. But despite some early struggles, I had a good time doing it—especially sharing the experience with the other interns.