The Branko Radičević primary school joined Music Art Project’s El Sistema Serbia programme through the Orchestras and Choirs of Hope project, which is funded by the European Union, the Government of Switzerland and the Republic of Serbia.
In the autumn of 2016, the music teacher Valentin Pešić began to look at how to establish innovative new approaches to learning and acquiring knowledge. In the course of his preparations, Mr Pešić and other music teachers at Branko Radičević started to work together with choir teachers at local music schools, ultimately developing a common programme. Through cooperation and the fun and joy of music, the pupils in Bujanovac have been able to experience new songs, rhythms and games. Through playing and practising together, many were also soon well prepared for performances at school events and for concerts at larger venues, such as the Dom Vojske in Vranje and the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment in Belgrade, where they performed in April 2017. At this first major performance in front of a full house, children from Bujanovac sang numerous songs from Serbia and around the world, thus taking their first steps in the global El Sistema family.
Watch the children from Bujanovac perform together with other El Sistema Serbia children in Belgrade