Programs of the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela

Programs of the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela

Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar

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“Each young boy and child of El Sistema has their own story.

And for me, they are all equally important and transcendental”.

Maestro José Antonio Abreu

EL SISTEMA The National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela is a work of social and cultural significance of the Venezuelan State, founded and instituted in 1975 by the renowned musician and maestro José Antonio Abreu, developed by the Simon Bolívar Musical Foundation, an entity attached to the People´s Power Ministry for the Office of the Presidency and Follow-up of Government Management of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

In El Sistema, emphasis is placed on the training of Venezuelan youth to be productive, as expressed by President Hugo Chavez Frias during the opening of the Social Action for Music National Center (Cnaspm, by its initials in Spanish), on February 12, 2011: “The youth begins with you...you are the child homeland, the young homeland, the homeland that sings, the beautiful and sublime homeland. Keep on growing, singing, dreaming and building the new homeland. “It is a pedagogical model that provides free training to 900 thousand children

and young people served in 440 centers and 1551 modules distributed in all the states of the country, which promotes the collective practice of music, transforming individual development into collective strength and contributing to building an inclusive, fair and equitable society with a deep national identity, bringing us closer to the objectives set out in the Homeland Plan (2013-2019).

That is why our institution is open to the whole society and has a high concept of musical excellence, which contributes to the integral development of the individual, who, based on music and its values, becomes an integral and hard-working person, knowing the importance of teamwork, educated without prejudice or discrimination. In addition, we bind together with the most vulnerable communities and sectors of our country through the exchange, cooperation and teaching of transcendental values ​​that influence the positive transformation of the child, the young person, their family and the social environment. We have a human resource aimed at achieving common goals, which works with mysticism and joy; forming multidisciplinary teams highly motivated and identified with the miracle of music. It has allowed us to turn our educational-artistic and cultural methodology into a reference of global inspiration

in more than 70 countries, which today replicate our work. In an eminently social framework, El Sistema develops a series of musical/pedagogical activities framed in the programs: Choirs, Orchestral, New Members, Music Initiation, Simon Bolívar, Academic Training, Special Education, Hospital Care, Alma Llanera, Popular Music and Other Genres, Lutherie Program and Prison Academic, established in each of the branches. Today, this dream continues, grows and expands; all the members of this great musical family continue working, spreading the musical teaching to honor and maintain the noble task inspired by maestro José Antonio Abreu, and with the firm intention of achieving the goal entrusted by the President of the Republic, Nicolas Maduro Moros, to reach one million members nationwide by the year 2019. Proposal made by him in 2014, when he recalled that President Chavez “with infinite love was dedicated to promote the System of Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela.”

Additionally, he recognized that being part of an orchestra “it is much more than learning to play an instrument, it is about taking part in representing the country. It is about transcending individuality and transforming oneself into something much bigger”

The musical center (Núcleo) The organizational structure of the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela; El Sistema; was conceived to deepen the promotion of the instruction and collective practice of music by providing permanent free training, with a continuous and interactive pedagogic approach incorporating ethic values and preeminence of human rights. Within this educational context, the child and the family are actively involved, as they consciously and severally participate in the process of individual and social transformation, implicit within the philosophy of the cultural and national identity.

The United Nations Children’s Fund Since 1993, the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela better known as El Sistema and its founder José Antonio Abreu have received 83 recognitions and awards, some of which recognize the program as an instrument for social inclusion, a means in the fight against poverty and a tool in favor of the youth and social development. He has also been granted with 13 honorary degree in the fields of arts, education, music and health sciences, 6 of them highlight its educational work. In addition to 24 decorations and recognitions from governments and international organizations, 22 of them for its contributions to art, music and culture. This model has also been replicated in over 70 countries with the technical accompaniment of their teachers.

These recognitions have lead toward the consolidation of an alliance between El Sistema and the United Nations Children’s Fund. In 2004, the members of the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela were appointed as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, in recognitions for their genuine commitment to work for the children of the most vulnerable groups in the country.

Subsequently, in 2007 UNICEF-Venezuela awarded El Sistema with the UNICEF Cuenta Contigo, for their continuous work to improve the opportunities of development for the children and youngsters in Venezuela.

The recognitions of El Sistema artistic, pedagogic and social trajectory allowed to develop in cooperation with UNICEF the program “Music is my voice” that engage the essence of El Sistema - music- with the rights of children and adolescents, representing the voice that demand recognitions, respect, acceptance and fulfillment at a personal level and community level as well. Its primary purpose is to understand the integral protection doctrine, by evaluating, implementing and keep track of policies and integrating services of education, moreover to prevent and promote the culture of peace and fair treatment through the process of information, promotion and incidence for the compliance of the rights of children and adolescents, in the locations close to the participants from the different Núcleo of El Sistema.

For 2019, the alliance between El Sistema and UNICEF project a contribution for children and adolescents and their families from the prioritized municipalities of the country, so they can access to program and improved services for the victims of violence, which includes gender-based violence and cases of underage with criminal prosecutions, also for the timely registration of births in the indigenous populations with the support

of the statistical and information system in Venezuela.

This program recognizes that El Sistema is one of the three national institutions that understand the integral protection doctrines, in order to implement and keep track of policies and integrating services with international standards for the prevention and action on the protection of underage victims of violence, which is why an essential part of the program is: the understanding and promotion of the rights of children and adolescents, to understand and analyze the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, so the participant can identify the principles of non-discrimination, absolute priority, best interests of the child, joint responsibility and participation. In addition, to learn and promote the mission of UNICEF, to recognize, disseminate and promote the role of the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Since the beginning of this process until December 2017 there have been a participation of: 8.055 children and adolescents over the age of 6 integrated in El Sistema.

3.599 adults-among parents, teachers and workers.

125 selected núcleos in: Caracas, Miranda, Cojedes, Guárico, Táchira, Zulia, Lara, Falcón y Aragua.

The United Nation Development Programme-(UNDP) For over a decade, UNDP-Venezuela has been cooperating with the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, in order to contribute to its strengthening, with the purpose of facilitating the transference of knowledge to other contexts and make visible the contribution of El Sistema to the development of capacities, and to the strengthening of public policies for the inclusion and social integration in Venezuela. The central axe of support of UNDP-Venezuela has been to encourage the musical training process and the internalization of El Sistema, through the execution of workshops, seminars and master classes with international teachers of high level and artistic renown. On the other hand, El Sistema has looked to guarantee the purchase of musical instruments in order to include more children and young people, in addition of the purchase for audiovisual equipment for the orchestras, choirs, music centers and academic center of El Sistema, with the purpose of record the academic and artistic processes, and also to make a contribution to the nation’s historical and musical heritage. Additionally, the programme has provided support for different international tours of the professional

and youth orchestras, which not only has guaranteed the internationalization of El Sistema, but also has allowed to continue expanding the program as model of social inclusion and community integration for other countries.

Likewise, the honorary mention granted by the United Nations for the Development Programme to El Sistema, as one of the 10 more successful programs in Venezuela that works toward the assistance of the extreme poverty, which allowed in 2015 the elaboration and systematization of a joint study through the Human Development Studies entitled: “Social inclusion and peace culture practices: the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela”. In September 2017, it was launched the training program “To play, to sing and to fight for a country without violence” that seeks to contribute with the development and reinforcement of the collective, individuals and institutional capacities, orientating to build resilience through the promotion of values for a life free of violence. For these purposes some workshops and lectures were organized to the beneficiaries of El Sistema.

The meaningful impact of El Sistema from a public policies perspective and their contributions to the sustainable development goals for 2030, has allowed an alliance and the acknowledgement from the UN agency in Venezuela, which has proven to be a sustainable alternative for the education, development, and peace, acquiring a valuable importance as social public policy and cultural model for other countries.

United Nation Organization-UN

The work of El Sistema contributes to the end of the poverty through social action in the most vulnerable communities of the country, and its presence through the music centers in 80% of the 128 municipalities of major social risk identified by the Venezuelan Government is a proof of it.

Its vision of a high concept of musical excellence encourage the integral development of its beneficiaries, the constitution of educative platforms and academic exchange provides quality education to all its members.

The artistic conception of El Sistema has achieved the non-discrimination of gender role, as all its member are considered equally competent in the musical deed by promoting the equality of gender in all its aspects, with a total members of 531.047 girls and 369.112 boys.

The evolution of a structure that allows the professional development of youth and children and their insertion in groups of artistic-musical renown, have provided them a steady job and economic growth, through the dignification of the music as a career. For that reason, there is a large number of staff members that contribute

and support those musical groups in its different areas such as communication, management, administration, production, etc which have generated around 15.000 jobs around the country.

The creative processes that born from their own communities of El Sistema have provided a significant contribution to the innovation area, creating organized models of scientific and empiric knowledge, through its several programs and musical manifestations.

The equity of opportunities for all children and youth of El Sistema and its tangible investment through the programs’ dissemination has produced lower costs which has favored the reduction of the inequality and has allowed the insertion of youth and children, through the artistic development to a constructive social life.

The conception of Maestro JosĂŠ Antonio Abreu states that each orchestra and choir are more than artistic structures that turns into models, mirrors and insuperable schools for the social development; it has allowed to promote sustainable communities, through the acquired significance of the music centers in in the country.

The path of El Sistema along almost 43 years as an institution of the Venezuelan Government has allowed to consolidate it as an example program of social inclusion and peace culture, with a flexible management able to adapt to the requirements and particular aspects each region, this practice has been recognized through a study carried out by the United Nations Program for the De-

velopment during 2015, confirming that it is a solid institution guarantor of peace and social justice.

The cooperation and promotion agreements in the education and music area with over 15 countries, the strategic alliances established with organizations such as: United Nations Children’s Fund-Unicef, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nation Development Program-(UNDP), the Inter American Development Bank (IADB), the Andean Development Corporation (CAF-Spanish), and some others have validated the intention of El Sistema on establishing alliances to achieve the objectives.

The contribution of El Sistema on 9 of the 17 objectives of the United Nation Programme, in partnership with the UN agency in Venezuela has allowed the performance of public performances for the production, participation, promotion and spreading of the work that the institution carries out, taking advantage of one of its principal strength such as: its presence on the majority of the States of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and its organizational structure, distributing in the academic centers gather as music centers and modules, that makes reference to a nationwide presence. Furthermore, the possibility of working as a net, producing a permanent ongoing process, which makes evident the possibility of developing information processes, training, formation, social mobilization and its incidence on the fulfillment of those objectives.

“The Youth begins with you (...) You are the child homeland, the young homeland, the homeland that sings, the beautiful and sublime homeland.

Keep on growing, singing, dreaming and building the new homeland. “ 109,729 members in El Sistema by 1999

“It’s much more than learning to play an instrument, it’s about taking part in representing the country. It’s about transcending individuality and transforming oneself into something much bigger. “ 900,000 members in El Sistema by 2017

Choirs Academic Program | PAC After recognizing the tradition of choirs practice in the country and easy access in communities, schools and institutions, El Sistema promotes the creation of the Choirs Academic Program (PAC, in Spanish); promoting the incorporation of children and young people who, using the voice as an instrument, open up a range of possibilities for individual and collective development that contribute to their artistic, humanistic and intellectual growth.

El Sistema has taken this training program as a bastion, thanks to the impact and the innumerable benefits that it can generate in the construction of a healthier society. That is why, through the consolidation of its organizational and management structure throughout the country, it has been established as an indispensable methodology that each child and young person who is incorporated into the wonderful world of music is brought closer to choirs practice.

Thus, considerable progress has been made in the constitution of children’s choirs, youth´s choirs and groups of singing children, that range from popular Venezuelan, Latin American and universal genres to high-level symphonic-choirs repertoires, assuming the task of bringing choirs music to all the national territory with excellence and professionalism.

Since its creation, this program of sociocultural inclusion has contributed to the wellbeing of the communities by encouraging teamwork, which also manages to transmit a message of peace and unity to all corners of the world.

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Orchestral Academic Program | PAo The Orchestral Program is the genesis of El Sistema. It is based on a teaching-learning process of collective and individual music practice aimed at thousands of children and young people, guided by teachers and directors with a high professional training who in addition to teaching music, train their students in an integral manner under the principles of equality, respect, solidarity, commitment, responsibility, teamwork and culture of peace.

Thanks to the vision of the virtuous maestro Jose Antonio Abreu, since its foundation, more than 42 years ago, El Sistema has been responsible for spreading the mi-

racle of music through the creation of hundreds of orchestras in different communities, neighborhoods, hamlets, border sectors, towns and areas of difficult access through the consolidation of an extensive network of branches and modules, which offer children and young people the opportunity to integrate into this social work of great impact.

The orchestral practice has led to the consolidation of music groups consisting mainly of children and young people from all social strata, who have become a faithful example of the social inclusion process carried out by El Sistema, not only in the search for musical excellen-

ce that allows us to project the talent of our country on a global scale, but also in contributing with the strengthening of the human and social capacities of the members, to make them better people and of great utility for our nation.

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New Members Program of El Sistema | Pnis This innovative program created in 2012 seeks to bring babies to the wonderful world of music, since they are in the womb until they are 3 years old. It is based on social integration orchestra-family, in order to develop the artistic talent of children and give them the opportunity to enter an orchestral and choirs branch to continue their artistic training within the Venezuelan National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs.

Its goal is to bring mothers and fathers together with their children to the benefit of the collective practice of music, contributing to the formation of people much more sensitized and enhancing the artistic qualities of their children from an early age.

Through concerts and recitals in hospitals, branches and at the Social Action for Music National Center, the New Members Program of El Sistema (PNIS, in Spanish) summons the whole family to monthly enjoy the presentations in which musicians and musical groups of El Sistema participate, which contribute to affective stability between parents and infants, and to the socialization of the little ones together with their peers. Additionally, it also has workshops that include body massages for both babies and pregnant women, and pedagogical-musical dynamics taught by a highly trained staff, ensuring comprehensive and professional care for newborns, babies, children, and families.

The New Members Program of El Sistema, through the work in the branches and modules, seeks the direct contact of the child with music, creating an extraordinary and incomparable stimulus directed to his emotional growth, to be later reinforced in any of the other musical academic training programs of El Sistema. Finally, when the children turn 3 years old, they are ready to formalize their registration in the closest branch of El Sistema.

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Music Initiation Program | PIM Music is one of the artistic expressions with the greatest impact on the educational process of exemplary citizens for society. The Music Initiation Program (PIM, in Spanish) of El Sistema, brings together all the elements to contribute to the direct approach of children, youth and adults to the orchestral and choirs world, respecting their cognitive-emotional stage and contributing to their development in an comprehensive way.

This program offers free music teaching through the branches and modules to all those people with an interest for music without distinction of age or social status; becoming the entrance door to begin experimenting the benefits offered by the System of Orches-

tras and Choirs of Venezuela.

For the members of the PIM, music is part of everyday experiences, who with emotion and hard work interpret selected works for their technical, intellectual development and to strengthen good coexistence with their social environment.

The program has 69,548 members who are distributed throughout the country. In this stage, it is intended that children together with their families have a first encounter with the orchestra, acquiring basic knowledge such as: identifying the various instruments, sections and voice stamps;

developing the psychomotor profile in children for instrumental performance and stimulating discipline within the orchestra and the attention to the director. The singing is the primary tool through which the basic elements of music such as rhythm and melody are acquired, accompanied by a harmonic instrument.

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Simón Bolívar Program | PSB Aiming at taking the music miracle to the masses and expanding the social impact of the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, in 2015 the Simon Bolivar Program was created to mainly promote the collective practice of music in schools of the basic education sub-system of our country, making the dream of filling Venezuela with music, started in 1975 by maestro Jose Antonio Abreu, come true.

This model of pedagogical and music training was possible thanks to the interest by the Peoples’ Power Ministers for Education, Hector Rodriguez and Elias Jaua, of opening the doors to teachers of El Sistema

to hundreds of schools and institutions, who make the team work, tolerance and respect a daily exercise in the coexistence of students. All this with the purpose of having the Venezuelan population learn and receive the benefits and values of music.

The Simon Bolivar Program (PSB, in Spanish) promotes suitable spaces aimed at the artistic expression to be enjoyed and interpreted by children and young people of the education sub-system through modules in schools, communities and institutions. This way, the miracle of music guides the most important stages of children’s life, offering the exchange of experiences to be active part of the

social processes in a more healthy and humanistic way. The National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela has created projects over time, which have allowed the development of the primary mission of incorporating the formal academic school population to the symphonic and choirs collective practice. This way, the development of proposals was possible, such as Del pupitre al atril (from the school desk to the music stand) and Misión Música (Music Mission).

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Academic Training Program| PFA This program constitutes the academic structure of El Sistema for the training of teachers who comply with the laudable work of training thousands of children and young people in the broad network of branches and modules comprising the Venezuelan social work.

The Academic Training Program (PFA, in Spanish) is deemed as the most important pedagogical precedent for the creation of the University of El Sistema, under the great ideals of the maestro Jose Antonio Abreu of having the best teachers, extraordinary directors and flawless managers.

The purpose is to offer the musicians of each state of the country the possibility to be included in this program to take advantage of useful academic tools so as to benefit the comprehensive music training of the children and young people they are to teach.

The PFA goal is to be the foundation for the creation of the curriculum design of a university study to enhance the training of young musicians who over

the years become leaders, taking the responsibility of being teachers, facilitators, coordinators and directors. The main purpose is to offer the necessary tools of training, updating and strengthening competences to all those people who have the responsibility of academically and musically training children and young people in Venezuela.

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Special Education Program| PEE Under the principles of inclusion and equality, along with a high sense of sensitivity, in 1995, the Special Education Program (PEE, in Spanish) was created to address and contribute with the development of the potential of children, young people and adults with special educational needs. The PEE includes people with hearing, visual, cognitive and motor impairment; with learning difficulties, autism and Down syndrome, among other conditions, who are given tools to participate in collective artistic activities.

The program’s main goal is to explore, train and include people with special conditions to the world of music, who are guided by a highly trained staff to develop learning strategies, through therapies and classes suitable to the condition of each participant. The program offers the children and adults spaces with the best condi-

tions for their physical, motor and cognitive development, with the purpose of developing high skills in the music and arts field where they perform, under the philosophical principles of love, tolerance and respect promoted by El Sistema.

Moreover, the Program seeks to promote attention and discipline; as well as to artistically support the use of sign language through the music interpretation such as body and gesture expressions. The program also offers percussion ensembles, colored and tubular bells, recorders, string instruments, piano subjects and other individual subjects of different instruments and a Venezuelan music program. Such program has been expanded to all the branches thus promoting and accompanying the process of inclusion of these mem-

bers to the music training programs, with the Coro de Manos Blancas (white hands choir) as the most representative group nationwide. There are many musicians with special conditions who have earned their right to participate in high-level symphony groups and choirs, and have shined in each performance thanks to their extraordinary talent.

Hospital Care Program| Pah In June 2012, the Simon BolĂ­var Musical Foundation created the Hospital Care Program (PAH, in Spanish) to provide music training to children and young people in hospitals, as well as to assure their incorporation to the branches of their community. Thus, the music becomes a therapeutic tool, increasing quality of life and being the healing hope for many people. It is through the contact with the music that this program allows its members to reduce the levels of anxiety and stress that each pathology causes, which also encourages the family-patient-physician relationship.

The main goal of PAH is to accompany the children and ado-

lescents for the rehabilitation process during their stay in health centers. In addition, it allows it to achieve the integration and social inclusion of the participant through the education accompaniment during and after the recovery process, using music as a tool of projection and personal motivation.

Its mission is to connect the children after being discharged from the health center, with the branches closest to their homes so they can continue with their musical training.

Currently, the program works in the hospitals of the capital city, as well as in Portuguesa, TĂĄchira

and Nueva Esparta states, and will soon begin in MĂŠrida state.

Since its beginnings 5 years ago, the PAH has benefited more than 2000 children with different pathologies and has more than 50 health professionals who have been involved in the musical activities that the program is offering.

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alma llanera program| PaLL Since its foundation, El Sistema has put emphasis on the spread and promotion of the Venezuelan traditional music, and it was in 2007, thanks to the unattainable work of maestro Abreu and the unrestricted support of the Commander Hugo Chavez Frias that the Alma Llanera program was consolidated. This project was born with the main goal of extolling the native cultural values of our country, and teaching the new generations the customs of all the regions through the execution of typical instruments. Moreover, since its creation, the Alma Llanera Program has brought countless contributions to each of the branches and modules, since it has had the valuable participation of a significant number of folklorists that together with the teachers of El Sistema have deepened the teaching-learning strategies to give the children and young people the necessary knowledge to

value the Venezuelan music and to learn to read their scores, as well as to turn them into diffusers of the enormous cultural background of our country.

This work has being intensified over the years, and nowadays, the Alma Llanera Program (PALL, in Spanish) has managed to make it accessible to all for the collective practice of music, through the creation of groups, orchestras and ensembles that have preserved the rhythms and genres of the popular culture, through a traditional varied repertoire, through the transcription and execution of innumerable compositions of the national musical. The PALL allows to exalt the Venezuelan music in its different expressions, from joropo in the states of the plains, through gaita in Zulia state, the Andean music, the eastern music of Venezuela, galerรณn, tamunangue, among many

other genres that involve the execution of typical instruments such as cuatro, guitar, tambora, flutes, carrizos, bandola, conga, charrasca, mandolin, harp, maracas and bass.

The Alma Llanera Program also continues to work hard in the strategic alliance established with the Corazรณn Llanero Foundation since 2014, a new brotherhood created for the insertion and musical training of all children in the country; seeking to encouraging, developing and deepening the study and diffusion of Venezuelan Folk music in the different communities, using as a model the pedagogical structure of El Sistema.

Program of Popular Music| Pmp In line with the hallmark philosophical values ​​of excellence, responsibility and teamwork of El Sistema, the Program of Popular Music and other genres is one of its greatest achievements at musical and academic level. This institution has over 42 years of experience in training children and youth nationwide, and spreading and projecting a wide range of rhythms and genres. Due to various initiatives and the development of numerous genres of music in El Sistema, this program was formally created in 2008. The program contributes to the consolidation of jazz bands, symphonic rock, as well as Afro-American, Latin American and Caribbean music. This music education project has become a milestone in popular music bands in Venezuela, since it also ensures free music education to those artists and folklorists who, despite their great experience and extensive musical careers in the national scene, never had the opportunity to pursue academic studies.

This attractive artistic platform, available for the new generations of Venezuelan musicians, increases creativity and versatility, helps the emergence of endless experimental rhythms throughout the country, and proposes an eclectic and avant-garde musical movement, which has been applauded by audiences of all ages. El Sistema offers all of its students a vast horizon of artistic and creative possibilities, through participation in a wide range of orchestras and bands with a rich diversity of genres and musical styles.

The new bands are an example of the open approach of El Sistema members to music, namely, the Latin Caribbean Orchestra, the Symphonic Rock Orchestra, the Afro Venezuelan

Orchestra and the Simon Bolívar Big-Band Jazz, which were born at Simon Bolívar Conservatory of Music.

These are pilot orchestras that are being replicated in all the branches nationwide. In addition, the development obtained by the Program of Popular Music and Other Genres since its creation has allowed the inclusion of children, youth and adults interested in studying electric guitar, saxophone, electric bass, piano, drums and popular singing, to be trained in order to perform works of great importance in the repertoire of musical history worldwide.

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Lutherie Academic Program| PAL In 1982, the Lutherie Academic Program (PAL, in Spanish) was created to provide both the members of El Sistema and artisans of the country with the necessary tools to tackle this important socio-productive space, which includes the maintenance, repair and construction of symphonic and popular musical instruments played in the various orchestras. This program provides a rigorously technical, historical, scientific and artistic training dedicated to form high-level instrument makers.

Upon getting their bachelor’s degree, these professionals will have the opportunity to practice this art and be part of the skilled labor for the development of this industry.

The members of this program receive the necessary training to become educators in the country and abroad, as they teach children and young people from

an early age about preventive and corrective maintenance of musical instruments, which in turn contributes to strengthen a sense of responsibility towards the resources through which music is performed. In addition, the PAL offers a quality service in terms of restoration and repair of the instruments entrusted to the different regional venues of El Sistema, through its component branches and modules, to benefit children and adolescents who participate in the several bands throughout the country.

With the support of different national and international agreements, the program certifies artisanal instrument makers through the creation of a bachelor’s degree in Lutherie. Likewise, through the Itinerant Workshop of Lutherie, which is part of the Social Action for Music Program by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF, in Spanish), the Simon Bolivar Musical Foundation has also collaborated with the training of luthiers in Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, extending this work beyond the El Sistema branches and our borders.

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Academic Penitentiary Program| Pap Thanks to the support of the People’s Power Ministry for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace and the funding of the Inter-American Development Bank, El Sistema created the Penitentiary Academic Program (PAP, in Spanish) in 2007, which aims at transforming the lives of female and male inmates. This agreement was renewed in 2011 between the People’s Power Ministry for Penitentiary Service and the Simon Bolívar Musical Foundation, in order to teach social values ​​through the discipline of music and uplift the inmates to help them overcome adversity while they serve their sentences.

The mission of this program is to offer inmates the opportunity to learn and enjoy symphonic, popular and choirs music to contribute to their rehabilitation and productive reintegration in society, once they have finished their sentences. This way, the principles of camaraderie, soli-

darity, respect, commitment, sense of belonging and teamwork are promoted, thus decreasing the levels of violence within Venezuelan prisons, and favoring healthy coexistence within the precincts.

With the implementation of this program, the Orchestras and Penitentiary Choir Network was born. The PAP operates in several prisons in the country: the National Institute of Female Orientation (INOF, in Spanish), the Penitentiary Center of the Andean Region, the Santa Ana Western Penitentiary Center, the Carabobo Penitentiary Center (Tocuyito Minima Prison), the Coro Penitentiary Community, the Insular Region Penitentiary Center, the Barinas Judicial Confinement Center, and the Tocuyito Female Annex. Ten percent

of the population in these prisons is expected to receive music education through the program.

Since the creation of the PAP, countless hopeful and motivational testimonies have emerged thanks to the implementation of the collective practice of music as a discipline. As a result, many inmates have taken the path of music up in their lives, once they are reintegrated in society.

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THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY CHILDREN ORCHESTRA| NSCO

The National Symphony Children Orchestra (NSCO) has been the birthplace of most musicians of El Sistema as from 1995, when it was created by maestro Jose Antonio Abreu as an itinerant orchestra that gathers a selection of the best music students of all branches from El Sistema from across the country.

As from its debut at the Kennedy Center of Washington in that same year, the NSCO has performed at important venues such as the UN headquarters in New York; the Ibero-American Heads of State and/or Government Summit in Santiago de Chile; 2nd World Meeting of the Holy Father with Families in the Maracana Stadium of Rio de Janeiro; UNESCO; Verdi Conservatory of Milan; Teatro di San Carlo in Naples; Teatro Verdi of Florence, Anagni Fiuggi Cathedral, Auditorium of Saint Cecilia Academy in Rome; Clementine Chapel in the Vatican; 2013 Salzburg Festival, among others.

The 5th generation of the NSCO has a challenge in 2018: Performing in the Summit on Prevention of Crime that will take place in Vienna - Austria.

LARA SOMOS ENSEMBLE AND WHITE HANDS CHOIR SELECTION

As from its creation in 2005, the Lara Somos Ensemble members have turned their special needs into the best element of their success, and they have achieved to merge their voices with a high level instrumental performance, thus, consolidating a repertoire which comprises from universal academic music, to Latin-American musical variety, until Venezuelan traditional, folk and popular music, accompanied with the innovative arrangements.

The Manos Blancas Choir is the leader group of El Sistema social integration programs, which main objective is to integrate children, young people and adults with disabilities or with special educational needs into artistic activities. It counts on the strength and praises of the music as a tool for their development and inclusion.

In August 2013, both groups set a historical milestone by performing as a part of the musical residency granted by the Salzburg Festival to eight groups from El Sistema, thus, becoming the first choral group of its kind to be part of this important cultural event. Recently, it successfully performed in Japan in 2017.

ALMA LLANERA ENSEMBLE This Ensemble -formed by 22 musicians- is part of the Alma Llanera programme, which born in 2007 in the El Sistema branches of Calabozo and San Juan de los Morros. It has the main objective of promoting native cultural values from Guarico state and making the regional traditions known to the new generations by playing typical instruments.

For the purpose of strengthening and consolidating the national and regionalist principles, the Alma Llanera Youth and Children Orchestra was created in 2009; which is led by maestro Luis Herrera, a virtuous player of cuatro and Creole harp, who was born in San Juan de los Morros.

The work of this musical education program has been intensified over the years, preserving rhythms and harmonies of the popular culture though the exaltation of the large Venezuelan traditional repertoire and the transcription and playing of over 40 compositions from the national musical heritage.

It was created in 2006 by initiative of maestro Jose Antonio Abreu, in order to form a high-level choir group. It is composed by talented young choir members from across the country and trained by El Sistema.

The Simon Bolivar National Choir has been directed by maestros Krzysztof Penderecki, Issac Karabtchevsky, Nicholas Kraemer, Simon Rattle, Inocente Carreño, Vladimir Prado, Gerald Wirth, Roberto Tibiriçá, Josep Vila and Todd J. Harper, among others.

The choir has performed in important scenarios such as Alte Oper and Chrosfest in Frankfurt, Kelkheim, Wuppertal and Cologne; Lincoln Center, UN Headquarters in New York; the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington; America Cantat Choirs World Festival in Colombia; Salzburg Festival, Stiftung Mozarteum of Salzburg and Royal Festival Hall in London, thus, becoming the first Latin American choir that ever played in the latter.

SIMON BOLIVAR NATIONAL CHOIR | SBNC

LATINO-CARIBBEAN ORCHESTRA

It was founded in 2013 in the 23 de Enero nucleo, in order to integrate more children and adolescents into El Sistema through popular music, which is one of the most representative genres in this area. This orchestra is formed by kids and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 25, who live in this populous zone of Caracas and other close areas. Currently, it is one of the youngest and strongest groups in popular Latino-Caribbean music of Caracas, under the conduction of Professor Larry Jayaro, who started his musical activities when he was 7 years old in the Children Choir of Venezuela.

El Sistema @elsistema EL SISTEMA @elsistema_

Editorial Concept and Production: Communications Department, Editorial Content Division, January 2018 Photography: FundaMusical BolĂ­var