Save the Date: Make Music Day will be 21 June
Every year, in increasing numbers, musicians around the world take to the streets on 21 June for Make Music Day. The celebration began 36 years ago in France and now includes over 800 cities. Amateur musicians, professionals, teachers giving free... Read More →
The Ambassadors’ Exchange, February 2019
Honk, Blow ‘n Screech at OrKidstra by Jennifer Ong (Canada) As OrKidstra is growing, we are starting off the new year by welcoming a fresh group of beginner students, ages 8-12. Last week, to help these students make an informed... Read More →
Ghetto Classics End-of-Year Concert + Video
Ghetto Classics in Kenya held a special concert on 18th November at St. John’s Community Centre in Korogocho. Students had the opportunity to showcase all of the work they had done this year. In lieu of ticket sales, attendees were... Read More →
FEATURE: Introducing The World Ensemble Ambassadors
Are young musicians in El Sistema programs aware of the global Sistema movement? Some have met through joint performances, but what about students in countries that are farther away? Do students in Brazil, for example, know of their music peers... Read More →
EDITORIAL: International Visitors and El Sistema Programs
Many El Sistema programs have the opportunity to host high-profile or international visitors, which can be a great opportunity. In Kenya, our experience with visitors has been mixed, with some very positive and some negative experiences, largely depending on the... Read More →
Youth Orchestra of Namibia News
The following are news updates from Youth Orchestra of Namibia: Our first two concerts of the second school term were at retirement homes. The first concert was on 29 June at Susanne Grau Heim and the next one was on 18... Read More →
Mozambique’s Xiquitsi Program Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary
Xiquitsi is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and is using the marker to share its work with a wider audience and public, in its home of Mozambique and in other countries. They have had a five concert series in this celebratory... Read More →
New Ghetto Classics Music Video features SAWA Life
Students from Ghetto Classics in Nairobi have created a new music video that you can view below. For this video, students partnered with SAWA, an organization that partners with local Kenyan women to make beaded decorations for technology like headphones (which can... Read More →
From Korogocho to Kogelo: Ghetto Classics Performs for Barack Obama
At 5am on the 15th of July 2018, 17 members of Ghetto Classics set off from Korogocho destined for Kogelo, in Siaya County, in the Western part of Kenya. Ghetto Classics had been invited to perform with the Kenyan singing... Read More →
Around the Sistema World with Hannah, Part Four: Kenya
My second trip to Kenya was definitely one for the books: packed with dozens of class visits, several hundred students, and two of the most inspiring organizations that East Africa has to offer. Over the course of three weeks, I... Read More →