El Sistema Greece in action
El Sistema Greece is a community music project that provides free music education to children and young people in Greece. El Sistema Greece children - no matter their origin, nationality or religion - are inspired to strive for a better future in harmony with their neighbours, with the process of communal music-making providing a platform for intercultural dialogue and a starting point for common action and the coming together of people from diverse communities.
Approach
The El Sistema Greece model strives to:
a) educate through inspirational, regular learning
b) integrate by bringing children and communities together
c) communicate through ambitious artistically rewarding performances that increase visibility and encourage better systemic support.
Music is a universal language which can be a powerful tool for social inclusion and Greece’s educational approach builds on effective methods from Venezuela’s El Sistema. It combines learning and artistic excellence with the caring and consistent relationships that are so vital for the development of its students. On stage, the children are experienced as young artists and this gives them the opportunity to challenge external perceptions and to demonstrate their potential as valuable additions to the community.
Centres
El Sistema Greece ensures the spread of music across the region of Athens. Its main teachings centres are the Skaramagkas Refugee Camp, the Elaionas Refugee Camp, the Malliaras School in Alimos and the Apostoli NGO project in Moschato, however, El Sistema Greece also offers music classes in the centre of Athens in collaboration with organisations such as Elix, Zeuxis and the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).
In its headquarters in the vibrant and multicultural Kypseli neighbourhood, El Sistema Greece has an additional 250 square metres dedicated to free music lessons for students learning the violin, viola and cello and participating in the choir. And, on top of its current centres, El Sistema Greece is actively in the course of developing programmes in other refugee camps and community centres in both Athens and Thessaloniki.
Reach
During its first year (2016), El Sistema Greece provided 380 hours of choir and violin classes. In 2017, this rose to 1,099 hours of choir, violin, cello and viola classes. And, in 2018, they added lessons for trumpet, clarinet and percussion to their weekly schedule, coming to a total of 1,331 hours for the year as a whole. Over 1,500 children and young adults between the ages of five and 26 have benefited from access to El Sistema tuition in Greece since the programme started.
The El Sistema Greece Youth Orchestra
Launched in November 2017, the El Sistema Greece Youth Orchestra (ESGYO) is one of El Sistema Greece’s flagship music programmes. As an educational orchestra it offers a unique process of orchestral learning based on El Sistema teaching principles and practices. Through an extremely varied repertoire and an assortment of fun activities, El Sistema Greece ensures that the ESGYO promotes social inclusion, creativity, safe communication and a high level of musical development.
The ESGYO brings young people together no matter their cultural background, musical level, goals or even linguistic ability. It provides these children with a tool to express themselves and to create new dreams. During the sectional and tutti rehearsals, the musicians don't just learn how to play but how to be part of an orchestra and about the benefits of acting together.
The orchestra welcomes registration from all children and young people between the ages of eight and 26, whether or not they have any prior experience of playing in orchestras and/or conservatoires.
A short introduction to the El Sistema Greece project in Skaramagkas