In his first public appearance as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, the poster child of El Sistema, walked on stage at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday afternoon to a crowd of 18,000. Greeted by tremendous applause, he raised his baton and gave his first downbeat… to 200 children from southern Los Angeles.
Sporting a “YOLA” t-shirt, the Maestro conducted the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles’s undoubtedly most important concert yet. YOLA was founded two years ago, inspired by El Sistema—the highly successful Venezuelan music education system based on the Suzuki Method. YOLA has been much more than a prototype for the future of music education; it has already changed the lives of both orchestra members and their families.
Following YOLA, the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony—a truly monumental piece which will undoubtedly be remembered by all in attendance.
It was not an attempt to show off the success of the YOLA program, nor simply an act of good will on the part of the LA Philharmonic. As Laurie Niles, editor and author of violinist.com put it,
“The idea of making children’s lives beautiful through music gleams with idealism; the reality is that it’s a tremendous, arduous effort for both teachers and students. Dudamel certainly knows this, having conducted so many youth orchestras himself in his native Venezuela. There was no apologizing for the fact that kids who have played for only a few years sound like kids who have played for only a few years. Their accomplishment was tremendous; and to celebrate it, to celebrate them, is legitimate.”
Being a Suzuki teacher or simply a music educator, one cannot help but feel incredibly moved by this. To think that a professional orchestra would gladly share the stage with YOLA simply echoes of the ideals of Shinichi Suzuki. To the founder of the famous method, the goal of music education was not simply to develop professional musicians, but to nurture loving human beings, and promote every student’s character through their study of an instrument.
You can find links to more articles by Laurie Niles on El Sistema and Saturday’s memorable concert below. I encourage you to read more about this revolutionary system, and spread the word to all music educators. This is the future of music education!
Welcome to Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel – Violinist.com
What real music education can create: The Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela – Violinist.com