September 2018

Every year, one of the highlights of the winter concert at Sistema Ravinia in Chicago is the moment when the young musicians whack their guests on the head. Let me be more specific: the real highlight is when one young musician almost whacks a guest on the head with a boomwhacker the size of a pool noodle.

When does the percussion player in a symphony orchestra ever stand right by the principal clarinetist’s shoulder?

The answer: when the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra (SEYO) is rehearsing Danzon Number 2, by Arturo Marquez – which begins in a sensuous hush, with a solo clarinet melody over woodblock beats. “It’s just a few of you starting this beautiful piece, “ said Maestro Sascha Goetzel, who was leading the rehearsal. “So let’s put you physically together, so that you can play fully together.”

As a teacher, musician and administrator in an El Sistema-inspired program, I ask myself four principal questions every September. First, Who are our students? In my community, they are generally black and Hispanic, from low-income and/or single-parent households or dual language households. In choosing how to shape ensembles and repertoire, I rely heavily on my students’ backgrounds; I often make choices that help them learn from one another about their different languages, holidays, and cultures.

My second trip to Kenya was definitely one for the books: packed with dozens of class visits, several hundred students, and two of the most inspiring organizations that East Africa has to offer. Over the course of three weeks, I had the opportunity to work with two different Sistema-inspired organizations. The first half of my trip was spent with El Sistema Kenya.

ITAC4, the Fourth International Teaching Artist Conference, will take place in New York City on 13-15 September (first time in the United States), and is completely sold out. 

The first Social Impact of Music Making Research Seminar will be held 5-9 November in Helsinki, Finland at the Sibelius Academy Training Center.