José Antonio Abreu: The El Sistema music revolution | TED

Introduction and TED Prize Award

In this section, Jose Antonio Abreu expresses his joy at being awarded the TED Prize on behalf of music teachers and educators from Venezuela who have supported him in founding the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs.

Jose Antonio Abreu's Vision for Music Education in Venezuela

• Abreu had a lifelong dream of providing all Venezuelan children with the same opportunity he had to pursue music.

• He founded the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras and Choirs to make music a deep and global reality for his country.

• The system started with a small number of children, but Abreu was determined to turn their orchestra into one of the leading orchestras in the world.

Importance of Music Education

In this section, Abreu emphasizes the importance of music education in Venezuela and its impact on social equality.

Music as a Social Right

• Abreu believes that art in Latin America should not be limited to elites but should be accessible to all people.

• The National System provides equal opportunities for talented individuals regardless of their social class or financial status.

• Through music education, children from different backgrounds come together, share experiences, and create music.

Overcoming Challenges

This section highlights how Abreu faced challenges while building the orchestra system in Venezuela.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

• Despite initially having only 11 children show up for rehearsal out of 100 expected participants, Abreu decided to multiply their numbers instead of closing down the program.

• He made a promise to those 11 children that he would transform their orchestra into one of the world's leading orchestras.

Recognition and Impact

Abreu shares the recognition and impact of Venezuela's Youth Symphony Orchestra on a global scale.

Recognition of Venezuela's Youth Symphony Orchestra

• A distinguished English critic mentioned Venezuela's Youth Symphony Orchestra as one of the top orchestras in the world.

• The orchestra's performances during their tour moved audiences and received standing ovations, creating a strong connection between Latin American musicians and audiences worldwide.

The Power of Orchestras and Choirs

This section explores how orchestras and choirs go beyond artistic structures to become examples and schools of social life.

Building Solidarity and Values

• Orchestras and choirs are not just artistic structures but also examples and schools of social life.

• Singing and playing together fosters solidarity, fraternity, self-esteem, ethical values, and aesthetic values related to music.

• They teach young musicians discipline, organization, coordination, harmony, interdependence, and excellence.

Music as Life

In this section, a child expresses their perspective on the importance of music in their life.

Music as Life

• According to a child from El Sistema, music is everything. It is life itself.

Success Stories: Edicson Ruiz & Gustavo Dudamel

Abreu highlights success stories within El Sistema, including Edicson Ruiz becoming a principal member in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel becoming an internationally renowned conductor.

Edicson Ruiz & Gustavo Dudamel

• Edicson Ruiz started attending double bass lessons at San Agustin's Junior Orchestra in Caracas. With support from his community, he became a principal member in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

• Gustavo Dudamel began his musical journey as a boy member of the children's orchestra in Barquisimeto. He grew as a violinist and conductor, leading Venezuela's junior orchestras and eventually becoming the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

El Sistema's Impact on Venezuelan Society

This section discusses how El Sistema has transformed Venezuelan society through its social rescue and cultural transformation programs.

Social Rescue and Cultural Transformation

• El Sistema is designed to benefit the whole Venezuelan society, with a focus on vulnerable and endangered social groups.

• The program attends to 300,000 children from lower and middle-class backgrounds all over Venezuela.

• It has had a profound impact on personal development, family dynamics, and community engagement.

Personal/Social Circle, Family Circle, Community Impact

Abreu explains how El Sistema's impact is felt in personal/social circles, family dynamics, and communities.

Impact in Different Circles

• In personal/social circles, children in orchestras and choirs develop intellectually and emotionally. Music becomes a source for their overall development.

• Families benefit from the positive influence of music education on their children's character development.

• Communities experience the transformative power of music through collective performances that bring people together.

Development of Self-Esteem and Confidence

Abreu emphasizes the importance of self-esteem and confidence in child development.

Building Self-Esteem

• Music education helps develop self-esteem by providing opportunities for leadership, teaching principles, commitment, responsibility, generosity, dedication to others, and achieving collective goals.

• Abreu references Mother Teresa of Calcutta's belief that poverty goes beyond material needs; it also involves feeling like nobody. Music can help address this lack of identification by fostering self-esteem.

Conclusion

Abreu concludes by highlighting the role of music in a child's development.

Music and Child Development

• Abreu believes that music plays a crucial role in awakening sensibility, forging values, and training youngsters to teach other kids.

• Music is not just an art form but a means to develop empathy, ethics, and aesthetics.

The transcript provided does not cover the entire speech.

The Importance of Role Models for Poor Children

In this section, Maestro Abreu discusses how a child becoming a role model for their parents is crucial for poor children. This realization motivates the child to seek self-improvement and hope for better opportunities for themselves and their community.

The Impact on Social Dynamics

• Most Venezuelan children who participate in music programs come from vulnerable backgrounds.

• These programs encourage children to embrace new dreams, set goals, and progress through the various opportunities that music offers.

• Music becomes a constructive and ascending social dynamic, providing avenues for personal growth and development.

Music as a Source of Exchange and Meaning

• Orchestras serve as creative spaces of culture and sources of exchange and new meanings within the community.

• Music is not seen as a luxury item but rather as a shared heritage of society.

• Families take pride in their children's involvement in orchestras and choirs, fostering a sense of unity.

Overcoming Material Poverty through Music

• Learning to play an instrument transforms a child's life by offering them opportunities for progress.

• It helps them develop skills that can lead to professional success, making them active contributors to society.

• Music acts as a powerful preventive measure against negative influences such as prostitution, violence, and bad habits.

Art and Religion: Answers to Spiritual Crisis

Maestro Abreu emphasizes the importance of art and religion in addressing the spiritual crisis faced by humanity. He believes that education, combining wisdom and knowledge, is essential in striving towards a more perfect, aware, noble, and just society.

Confronting the Spiritual Crisis

• Historian Arnold Toynbee identified a significant spiritual crisis affecting the world.

• Maestro Abreu asserts that art and religion are the only means to provide proper answers to humanity's deepest aspirations and historic demands.

Education as a Path to a Better Society

• Education, as the synthesis of wisdom and knowledge, plays a crucial role in building a more just society.

• TED is commended for its humanism, principles, and support of young values.

• The hope is that TED can contribute fundamentally to the transformation of music education into a social mission.

Art at the Service of Society

Maestro Abreu advocates for placing art at the service of society, particularly benefiting the weakest members such as children, the sick, and vulnerable individuals. He emphasizes the importance of raising dignity through artistic expression.

Shifting Perspectives on Art

• Rather than society serving art or elite monopolies, art should serve society.

• It should cater to those who seek vindication through their human condition and the elevation of their dignity.

Maestro Abreu's TED Prize Wish

Maestro Abreu reveals his TED Prize wish, expressing his desire for music education to become accessible to all children worldwide.

The TED Prize Wish

• Maestro Abreu's wish is for TED to contribute fully and fundamentally towards revolutionizing music education.

• He envisions a new era where music education serves social, communal, spiritual, and vindicatory aims for children and adolescents globally.