"The first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader"

How to make a movement in under 3 minutes



It takes guts to follow and stand out! Nurture your first follower as equal.

A movement must be public, you must show the followers.

Leadership is over glorified!!

The force is within us

At-risk populations move around a lot. If current/future fellows align locally with other nucleos, it would create higher possibility of success, because we would be able to reach that population regardless of were they go and remain connected with them over time.

Similar to an epidemic spreads, El Sistema will be more effectively “contagious” by conglomerating in highly populated areas, rather than sporadic segregated growth throughout the country. Maybe comparing ES to an epidemic is not an elegant analogy, but both operate socially. That is, we look at our surroundings and follow trends. The perfect example: Facebook began by connecting a community of students, enabling instant communication between friends, leading folks to acquaintances, mutual friends, and total strangers. Your friends have it, and so do you in order to keep up with them. Like Ben Zander would say: This opens a world of possibilities.

I am excited that some of the fellows and myself are thinking of staying in Boston. The communication between CLCS, Zumix and others would become more fluid, perhaps sharing venues (a particular hall). Seemingly small things like these could really start a movement.

Initial conversations were of starting ES Boston, however the amount of capital necessary would have been enormous. No one has forbidden us from settling where other programs have settled, and perhaps we can think of the proximity of other programs as an advantage that can help narrow the search for a location.

One of the reasons El Sistema works is that it has created a continuum. Programs in Venezuela are coordinated through FESNOJIV, at local, state, and national levels. If a child moves, there is a nucleo accessible to them. This is how they created perpetuity - starting locally. This has to be our long-term goal as an ES community.

Here is a video of my time in Argentina these past weeks. The first clip is from a tango show, the second is jam session in a conventillo of la Boca, Bs. As. Guillermo (bass) called me and said, how would you like to go to a jam session of candombe and tango? I said I’m there. Mamma, nos metimos en la boca del lobo!! We got there with my mum, and my uncles and they said, we should go back! But, for some reason we decided to go in - as scary as the neighborhood looked, the hosts of the house were wonderful!

I also made a contact of a bandoneón player called Bruno Ferreccio, a wonderful teacher and performer. I took a couple of lessons and got excited about learning bandoneon seriously, however they are a wee expensive (US$4,000), and I don’t really have the commitment to change profession. The bandoneón is a magnificent instrument, and tough to play! Maybe I will - when I am 64!

Apply Now!

Please allow me to share information about the Abreu Fellows Program, based at New England Conservatory.

The Abreu Fellows Program provides tuition-free instruction and a needs-based living stipend for outstanding, young postgraduate musicians and music educators, “passionate for their art and for social justice,” who seek to guide the development of El Sistema programs in the U.S. El Sistema is Venezuela's celebrated youth orchestra program that has given us Gustavo Dudamel and the amazing Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra.

The academic year-long program provides Fellows with in-depth knowledge of the mission and musical methodology of the El Sistema vision, so brilliantly pioneered in Venezuela. In addition, the Fellows are instructed in music education methodologies, leadership, organizational development and management, fundraising and working with underserved youth and communities. The program includes a three-week U.S. internship as well as shorter visits to U.S. El Sistema-inspired programs, and a two-month residency in Venezuela.

Pending confirmation of funding, the program will start August 29, 2011. We would appreciate it if you would distribute the information below to Advisors, Faculty members, Career Services personnel, Deans, Alumni Officers, and anyone else who has direct contact with graduating seniors, graduate students who are completing their degrees this year, and alumni who graduated approximately ten years ago or fewer. We are looking for only ten Fellows, but we want to publicize the opportunity widely so as to attract those individuals most suited to our program. The Application Deadline is February 14, 2011.

If you would like more information about the Abreu Fellows Program, please email me at erik.holmgren@necmusic.edu. Thank you for your collaboration.

Best wishes,

Erik

Erik Holmgren

Education Director

Abreu Fellows Program

New England Conservatory

Erik.Holmgren@necmusic.edu

Harmony Program

Here is a video of our visit to the Harmony Program Christmas Concert in NY. Thank you so much to Anne and the staff for opening the doors of the program!

The Abreu 401 Corp. is the NY headquarter - where the Fellows go to debrief over cold beer & sodas, cigarettes, ice cream, and candy.

Jamie Bernstein, Anne, fellows, and Erik

“how business principles can be applied to solve social problems”

Happy Old Year everyone! I just wanted to share this article:

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/30/132444322/change-you-can-invest-in-social-entrepreneurship

David Wish advocates music education using popular genres in schools. The website has some resources for the kids that I had fun playing with:

http://littlekidsrock.org/flash/kidsite/home.html

Another site worth looking at http://www.seachangecap.org/portfolio.html

This website confirms what Beth Babcock spoke about making non-profits look more like for-profits.

Finally, Ashoka is an association of social entrepreneurs.

http://www.ashoka.org/

Here is an interesting post:

The first part of my answer is always that the process is organic and that the right approach for one person might be completely different for another. Let’s face it –we’re all different and our ideas are a reflection of that unique individuality. Nevertheless, I think there are a couple things that apply across the board that can contribute to a solid foundation for new idea. Here are five things to consider:
• Self-reflect - you are looking for that sweet spot where your passions, talents and abilities meet an existing need. The first step in mastering that is understanding yourself and taking the time to reflect.
• Step outside your comfort zone –escaping your normal routine and experiencing new things produces the perfect backdrop for idea generation – you are more likely to look at things differently, notice things you haven’t before and feel that ‘spark’ you’re looking for.
• Write everything down – this allows you to store and revisit everything you’ve come up with. It’s important not to be picky with what you record, though - this limits the possibilities.
• Constantly review your earlier ideas – this gives you a chance to organize, combine and prioritize all of your thinking. More than anything it gives you the opportunity to expand upon ideas with strong potential.
• Surround yourself with the right people – perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of this process is the sounding boards you line up. You want to surround yourself with people who are both encouraging and constructive – these shouldn’t be people shoot your idea down prematurely nor people who blindly endorse everything you propose.

This post was submitted by Arthur Woods. He is a Co-Founder of Compass Partners, a social business incubator with fellowship programs for college students dedicated to training social entrepreneurs across the country. Learn more about Compass Partners here.

When I teach, I learn; when I learn, I teach.

Conductor as defined by Wikipedia: the act of directing a musical performance by way of physical gestures.

Max Rudolf has a better description in his book The Grammar of Conducting. In his preface he writes: “Part musician, part actor, the conductor pursues a craft which is not easily defined.” He goes on by explaining that if a musician sees a competent conductor s/he can become competent at conducting without formal instruction.

The introduction delves into the complexity of conducting; the conductor has knowledge of composition, musical styles, basic knowledge of instruments, ability to score read, play piano, perfect pitch (helpful, not a necessity), talking/working with people, knowledge of psychology, and technique.

So why is it that not ALL musicians consider themselves conductors? At some basic level all musicians receive this knowledge, especially as one continues up the educational ladder. Why is it that only few musicians have the privilege to be called conductors? Shouldn’t all musicians be encouraged (by their teachers) to follow up on all the skills mentioned by Rudolf?

Take a look at this guy....

In the documentary The Gift of Music, Lenny says "When I teach I learn, when I learn, I teach."

Exemplary teaching below....

The conductor is a role model: someone that is continuously developing their human capacity; s/he are guided by her/his own role models into autonomy. The student taught in this manner is not a subordinate (or oppressed, as Freire would say) of the conductor, rather, the student conductor makes a choice to follow another fellow conductor. I want to believe that the most amazing orchestras in the world are organisms that have self directed and autonomous individuals! I believe Rudolf is on to something when he states that it is possible to learn how to be a conductor if you have a wonderful conductor role model.

Students have to be guided through the process of becoming, they have to be taught how to practice and problem solve. In order for those to happen, you have to foster reflective listening skills - the student plays and the teacher asks what they heard - and practice practicing with the students. Always ask: WHY? Why they did that? Why did that work, or not? Then, HOW? How can you make this better?

I take Bernstein's words very seriously. If you want someone to learn something, you have to understand how that individual (or group of individuals) learns. It has to be a conversation in order for a meaningful exchange or change to happen - and not in lecture form (don't do this, that bowing is wrong).

Ultimately, we are our own masters. As teachers we can only hope to say the right thing for students to have an AH moment. Students could be having those moments a lot more often if they discover how to seize control of their own learning experiences. Educators must have a personal commitment to guide and cultivate those habits of mind.

I have this crazy idea that if we were to teach all of our students the conductor model that they would prosper, not only as musicians, but as human beings.