Let's sponsor an El Sistema USA music fellow !

Dear Twitter friends,

I ask you to consider joining me in a noble experiment to prove the transformative power of music.  If we're successful, an amazing musician, supported by us, will be trained for a year to lead a music program in an American inner-city area, similar to the world-acclaimed El Sistema youth orchestra program of Venezuela. 

To understand the power of this idea, please do the following:

1) Spend a few moments watching this astonishing youth orchestra performance. 

2) Consider that a few years ago many of the children you just watched were living in poverty in Venezuela.  Music changed their lives and also impacted the lives of the communities they live in. To understand how this could possibly be so, please watch the inspiring TED Prize speech of the founder of El Sistema, Jose Antonio Abreu. 

3) Read Maestro Abreu's TED Prize wish. (Each year TED grants 3 remarkable individuals a prize allowing them to make 'One Wish to Change the World')

“I wish you would help create and document a special training program for at least 50 gifted young musicians, passionate for their art and for social justice, and dedicated to developing El Sistema in the US and in other countries.”   

In other words: let's train the trainers. These 50 musicians will be the global ambassadors of El Sistema committing to establish similar programs elsewhere.

4) Take a look at the fantastic training program that has already been created in response to Maestro Abreu's wish.  It's based at the New England Conservatory under the leadership of Mark Churchill, a long time friend, colleague and admirer of Maetro Abreu   From this startpoint El Sistema will be able to spread around the world. We can help.

4) Please consider clicking the Donate button and chipping in whatever you can afford.   I'm hoping we on Twitter can raise enough funding to completely support one of the new El Sistema USA fellows.  He or she will undergo a year of training, in Boston and in Venezuela, learning every aspect of what it takes to recruit, train and inspire kids to let music transform their lives. Then the real work starts. But the year of training is crucial.

The amount we need is $25,000.  It sounds a lot, but every $ helps. It would be thrilling if this group of us on Twitter could pull this off.  As far as I'm concerned anyone who joins this effort is an absolute hero, and I will be publishing here the full list of those contributing unless you ask otherwise.

Donation > $9   =   Valued Giver
Donation > $29   =   Valued Contributor
Donation $99   =   Valued Donor
Donation $299 =   Fellow Enabler
Donation $999 =   Maestro

All funds will be paid into a segregated account of The Sapling Foundation (owner of TED) and 100% of the proceeds will go toward the scholarship.

If we're successful, I'll look forward to introducing you to the Musician whose career you'll have helped nudge into a new, transformative direction. And we'll track their progress from time to time over the coming year.

Please consider retweeting, and thanks for listening!

15 responses
Thats a great idea.
Retweeted with honor! Soul work, true soul work.
thank you! I love playing the guitar and making music, and of course I want to share that love. I send you a mail. :)
i love this project, and would like to talk about how i can support. ¡bravo!
Retweeted and donated!
Let's carry on!
As someone who was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by music, supporting this kind of initiative is an honor. Bravo, TED!
Great Initiative. If I could take one thing to the lonely island, it'd be music.
Wonderful!...My prayers are with you, may this seed plant the joys of many.
Our little start-up sees the value of supporting this noble experiment. Donated... and re-tweeted. Please join us!
The "Share this talk" option is set up for this video: http://www.ted.com/talks/natalie_macmaster_and_donnell_leahy_play_the_cape_breton_fiddle.html

You should fix this...

This is a wonderful idea. Music teaches so many things and gives a great reward to both the musician and the listener. I am proud to donate.
It's been three months. How is it going?
nooooooooooooooooooooooooo not spam
we as the team wish to request to be sponsered so that we may donate with our talents to churches and to the community.our which is to come to overseas and offer with our time and energy to churches that need people who may play music and also singing, keybaord players too. we are very deligent about instruction given and we are very discipline too. we have very talented by nature and more above all.

our which is to serve god with praise and worship through playiing music.

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regards chaiperson of the choir