WEBVTT

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Back in 2005, TED took the next step

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in terms of spreading
ideas worth spreading,

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with the introduction of the TED Prize.

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This year, one of those TED prizes

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went to a gentleman
by the name of Dr. José Abreu.

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We are fortunate enough

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to have the epicenter
of that TED Prize here in Boston,

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centered out of
the New England Conservatory.

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This next set of segments
includes a video about that TED Prize:

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the wish that Dr. Abreu presented,

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as well as Mark Churchill,

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a Dean from the New England Conservatory,

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who really has been silently leading
this wish here in the US,

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and as well as Benjamin Zander,

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whom many of you know,

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a wonderful conductor

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who is maybe more vocally leading
a lot of this initiative.

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Please join me in welcoming
Mark and Benjamin up to the stage.

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But first let's hear about that TED Prize.

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(Music) 33 years ago,
in a parking garage in Caracas,

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Maestro José Abreu brought together
11 young people to play music.

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(Music)

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He told them, "With this instrument,
you are going to change the world."

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"El Sistema" was born.

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And today...

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(Music)

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Youth Orchestra of Venezuela
conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

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(Music)

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We are very happy, because we have
this angel in the world.

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He is giving us
the possibility to have dreams

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and to make true the dreams.

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Here is the result

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of this wonderful project
that is The System.

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(Music) "[El Sistema] is undoubtedly
one of the most successful

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music-education projects
of its kind in the world."

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(Music)

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"The truth is, I have never felt so moved.

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Not only because of the emotion
of the moment...

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but because of the quality
of the El Sistema musicians."

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(Music)

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"El Sistema" has produced
over 150 youth orchestras in Venezuela.

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"El Sistema" serves over 300,000
young people in Venezuela per year.

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70% of the participants
live below the poverty line.

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The effect of "El Sistema" is felt
in three fundamental circles:

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In the personal/social circle,

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in the family circle and in the community.

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The most miserable
and tragic thing about poverty

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is not the lack of bread or roof,

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but the feeling of being no-one.

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That's why the child's development
in the orchestra and the choir

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provides him with a noble identity

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and makes him a role model
for his family and community.

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There is no difference here
between classes,

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nor white or black,
if you have more money or not.

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Simply, if you are talented,

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if you have the vocation
and the will to be here,

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you get in, you share with us
and make music.

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In 2009, Maestro José Antonio Abreu
was awarded the TED Prize.

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He received one wish to change the world.

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I wish that you help
to create and document

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a special training program

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for 50 gifted young musicians

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passionate about their art
and social justice

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and dedicated to bringing El Sistema

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to the US and other countries.

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Thank you very much.

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(Applause)

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Debuting: El Sistema US

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at the acclaimed
New England Conservatory of Music.

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18 post graduate fellows a year.

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Talented

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dedicated

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motivated

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socially conscious.

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Completing their training
between Boston and Venezuela,

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they will learn from the masters
to train the next masters ...

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The Abreu Fellows will then bring
their leadership and passion

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to undeserved communities,

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inspiring new students
to work hard and dream big.

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(Music)

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(Music ends)

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(Applause)

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18 new "El Sistema" leaders a year
18 new communities served.

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Transforming a nation's youth
www.elsistemaus.org.

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(Applause)

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Well I have the great fun of telling you
a little more about El Sistema,

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but first a little lead-in.

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So many of us in the arts

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can describe our lives
as a continual search

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for ways to share
the immensely positive impact

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that our art form has on us

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with more and more people,
particularly children.

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We ourselves live with art every day.

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The artistic experience
is at the center of our being.

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Art informs how we feel,
think, learn, move, interact,

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contribute, love and transcend.

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And those of us in music deeply understand

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and strive to achieve
the intricate balance

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between the mind, heart, body and spirit

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that leads to the most effective
and satisfying musical performance

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and indeed state of living.

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When we teach music,

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we see the exquisite interplay
of these human elements

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in a complete and balanced learning

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that nourishes the souls
of the young people

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while developing an array of life skills.

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It's the clear power of arts learning
that creates the conviction in us

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that all children and young people,
all of us really,

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deserve this education in life.

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And in a way that's affirming,
rigorous and freeing,

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we come to believe that every human being

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has the potential to experience art
at the highest level,

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that we all deserve the privilege
of an arts-rich life,

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that people thrive when art
is at the center of society,

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and that art is truly transformative.

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And so we set to work,

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finding every available moment
in our busy lives

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to advocate for arts in education,

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and to create effective delivery systems
often aimed at undeserved communities.

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Over the past 30 years

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I've had the privilege and honor of being
involved in the founding and development

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of a number of these
Music-In-Education initiatives,

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and Boston has again proven
to be a powerful incubator for ideas

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and a leader in building
models of success.

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Project Step, created in 1982,

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supports professional training
in string instruments

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for young black and Latino students.

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The Boston Music Education Collaborative,

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a nine-year partnership

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between the New England Conservatory,
the Boston Symphony,

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the Boston public schools and WGBH,

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worked at integrating music
into classroom learning in core subjects.

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The Conservatory Lab
Charter School in Brighton

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explores ways to employ arts learning
across the curriculum

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at the elementary school level.

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From the Top, the national radio series,

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celebrates the power of music

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in the lives of the entire range
of diverse teenagers in the US

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and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas
that you'll hear shortly

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brings together young musicians
from some 25 countries in our hemisphere

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to learn from each other

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and to serve as a beacon
of international collaboration.

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Now I only name a few,
and this in only one city in America.

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But even with all these efforts,

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we feel like we're taking very small steps

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towards the goal
of bringing all young people

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into a profound relationship with art.

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Enter El Sistema.

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I first came face to face
with El Sistema 10 years ago,

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when I had the great privilege
of working with Maestro Abreu

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in the founding
of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

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It was instantly clear that we all needed
to take this very seriously.

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Here was an affirmation of our faith.

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Living proof that our programs
and initiatives

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could be more than tiny drops
in the ocean of need.

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El Sistema was demanding
that we think much bigger

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about our efforts
to bring art to our society

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and educational systems.

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Thank you, maestro Abreu,

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and the more than 1 million
young Venezuelans

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who have participated in The System
over the last 35 years.

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For me, the last 10 years

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have been a journey
of discovery about El Sistema.

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I've been to Venezuela at least 15 times

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and I always feel that I'm coming home
to the Land of Music.

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Last fall, I spoke to some eminent
German musicians in Caracas,

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and they told me that now in Germany,

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they refer to Venezuela
as the Motherland of Music,

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and to Germany
as the Grandmotherland of Music.

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(Laughter)

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Now, El Sistema might best be described
as a set of inspiring principles

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that has lead to a clearly defined
and well-practiced

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full-time after school music program,

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that holds social change as its first goal

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and the highest values of excellence
in music education

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as its close second.

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Learning from our Venezuelan friends,

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by observation,
and from our own experience,

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my colleagues and I across the US

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have identified 4 core values
of El Sistema

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as well as its essential, transferable,
philosophical and practical elements.

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The core values cover:

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human dignity,

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the belief in every child's potential,

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the necessity of strong self-worth

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and clear priorities for education.

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And growing out of these values
are the things that need to be present

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if we want to see the kind of results
that El Sistema has produced,

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and are thrilling audiences
throughout the world.

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Philosophically, we need fun first,

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group learning,

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and discipline inspired
by the pursuit of excellence.

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On the practical side,
programs must be sustainable,

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placed within target neighborhoods,

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employ large musical ensembles,

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be intensive,

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fully engage families and communities,

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speak to the whole child,

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give constant applause

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and feature peer-to-peer learning.

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In many conversations
during the past years,

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it became clear that we needed
2 principal tools in our country

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to foster and accelerate
the El Sistema movement.

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A networking resource
advocacy organization,

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and highly trained and skilled leaders.

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The realization gave birth
to 2 national initiatives:

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El Sistema USA
and the Abreu Fellows Program.

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Being developed with the guidance
of a national advisory group,

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El Sistema USA is
a support and advocacy network

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for people and organizations in the US
inspired by the Venezuelan model.

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Largely through an effective website
contributed by a TEDster in San Francisco,

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and launched a few months ago,

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it will provide comprehensive information

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on the El Sistema philosophy
and methodology

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and a variety of resources
that will aid those in building,

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expanding and supporting
El Sistema programs

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in the US and beyond.

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As it develops, El Sistema USA will,
among other things,

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become a national leader

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for advocacy efforts
for arts and education,

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host conferences,

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arrange study tours
to Venezuelan and US programs,

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fund research projects
and provide consultants.

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The first major initiative
of El Sistema USA

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is the Abreu Fellows programs,
to be launched this fall.

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This, of course, was the focus
of Dr. Abreu's wish.

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I'm thrilled to say that our first class
of 10 Abreu Fellows

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will be arriving in Boston this fall

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for a year of intensive study,

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including a two-month
residency in Venezuela.

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There is no doubt that we found
10 of the best and brightest,

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passionate for their art
and for social justice.

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They will found El Sistema centers
here in Boston and in other cities

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as well as joining
the leadership teams of existing pilots

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in LA, Chicago, Baltimore,
Brooklyn and Miami.

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The existing startups
have already done much

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to prove that El Sistema
can effectively be translated to the US.

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Kids are thriving,
waiting lists grow every day,

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families are engaged,
communities are taking notice

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and feeling pride and worth.

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We are beginning to El Sistema

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as an important key
to a new educational philosophy

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that may very well have the power

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to change the fundamental way
we think about the education

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of our children and youth.

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The El Sistema movement has begun.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)