Two Ways to Start (and Continue) Playing an Instrument By Eric Booth Here are two scenarios used in recent child development research. A four-year-old child is handed an unfamiliar toy and invited to play with it. The child is delighted to discover it squeaks when squeezed, and keeps trying different things with it, playing with […]
How Much Should Teaching Artists in El Sistema-inspired Programs Be Paid? By Eric Booth Did you actually think I would give you a hard number in answer to that question? There is no numerical absolute. Not even a reliable calculator to help you factor in local realities like comparable norms and cost of living increases, […]
To Teachers in Music-for-Social-Change Programs By Eric Booth and Tricia Tunstall Our book Playing for Their Lives (playingfortheirlives.com) grew from our observations of teaching in El Sistema-inspired programs around the world, in over 25 countries and at over 100 program sites. This global faculty brings deep experience and skills to the shared global Sistema experiment, […]
From Eric Booth To Friends in the El Sistema-inspired movement Hello Friends, If you were at the Take A Stand Symposium, or if you read the accounts of the symposium in the current issue of The Ensemble, you may have heard about a proposal I made to our field in L.A. I believe we have […]
Starting a new arts organization brings a jumble of challenges. Leaders of startups find themselves dealing with a crazy-quilt of issues every day, from details like the nutritional content of snacks, to advocacy presentations for parents, and data collection for funders—all in the same afternoon. Amid that swirl, it is difficult to focus on things […]
Snapshots of five experiences of the growth of El Sistema around the world – including reports about Sweden, the Salzburg Festival, South Korea, Japan, and the emergence of Sistema Canada
On my third visit to Venezuela, I saw into El Sistema more deeply than before. This essay reports my observations and inspirations, particularly about the way repetition is used pedagogically, the increase in folk music, and observations about Venezuelan culture.
El Sistema-inspired programs must build generative connections to the larger music learning ecosystem within which they live — ideas on the whys and hows of building real relationships.
Investigating Learner Motivation in U.S. El Sistema Inspired Programs
An introduction to the ten Fundamental Elements of Venezuela's El Sistema that those who wish to start El Sistema-inspired programs must attend to.