El Sistema Aeolian brings rigorous orchestra training to diverse London kids
'We have to do better at giving young people access to an enriched education,' says the program director
For 16-year-old Ayden Alvis, a recent alumna of the youth orchestra program El Sistema Aeolian, picking up her viola means breathing "a huge sigh of relief."
"It's always helped me calm my thoughts and let me escape to a different world," said Alvis, who joined the after-school orchestra as a nine-year-old, while she was still dealing with grief with the death of her mother as a young child.
Alvis, now a student at H.B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ont., said discovering a passion for music gave her an outlet for her feelings, and a reason to push herself.
Being a part of El Sistema also deepened her appreciation for classical music, and connected her with friends she's stayed close with over the years.
"[It] helped me really drive myself with what I feel like I was destined to do," she said.
El Sistema Aeolian is based on a program established in Venezuela in 1975 as a way to keep poor children out of gangs and to foster appreciation for classical music. Today, the program exists in more than 80 countries, and has developed Venezuelan musicians who perform in orchestras all around the world.
Locally, participants in El Sistema Aeolian maintain a rigorous schedule, rehearsing between three to five times a week and performing together over 20 times a year, according to the program's website.
What's perhaps most distinctive about the program is its ability to knock down the barrier of cost for aspiring musicians. El Sistema Aeolian offers all instruction free of charge, and each rehearsal is accompanied by a free snack and meal.
The program also does not require any prior musical experience or an audition, according to Clark Bryan, artistic director and executive director of Aeolian Hall.
"Sometimes programs that audition get it wrong," he said, adding that auditions can disadvantage those without prior experience, or those who are simply late bloomers.
"We want to make sure we're as inclusive as we can be."
'A very diverse group of kids'
While the original El Sistema program was developed for poor children living in Caracas, El Sistema Aeolian is aimed at kids who, for a variety of reasons, might not have access to music education.
More than half of the kids in the program are newcomers to London, Bryan said.
Others might face barriers due to learning disabilities or economic challenges, he said, adding that he aims to foster a mix of kids with different strengths and weaknesses.
In addition to teaching participants about music, Bryan said the program also supports kids by teaching confidence and what he called "social access."
"The idea that no matter who they are, they can reach for the stars and be comfortable speaking with renowned people," he said.
"In the past they've met the mayor, for example, so hopefully someday they'll be comfortable giving [him] a piece of their mind if they feel they need to. They won't feel it's not their place to speak out."
Room to grow
As El Sistema Aeolian approaches its 10-year-anniversary, a new stage of growth has led to its own set of challenges.
For one thing, it's not an inexpensive program to run, Bryan said. The average scholarship cost, including the up-front purchase of an instrument, is $3,500 a participant.
When the program first began in 2011, fewer than 20 kids stuck with it for an entire year. Today, the program includes about 100 kids between the ages of six and 18, with more on a waiting list.
Bryan said he's now caught between a desire to promote the program far and wide and a fear of the waiting list growing too unwieldy.
"There's a real conundrum point where you have so much demand and you can't meet it, and you disappoint a lot of people," he said. "So we're working hard to get to the right kinds of families and kids."
As a way of shoring up the program's future, Bryan said he hopes to purchase the old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church, which El Sistema Aeolian currently leases.
"By owning the facility, we'll have a lot more security for the future for the development of the program," said Bryan, who added he's also exploring other revenue streams, such as creating team-building music programs for businesses.
Ultimately, Bryan hopes that someday every child in London will have access to the program, or to something like it.
For her part, Ayden Alvis agrees — and said anyone who has the chance to sign up, should.
"It means so much to me," she said. "Even though I'm not in the program any more, I think of them constantly, I come to visit, I volunteer."
"It's just one of those programs that's going to make a mark on you, no matter what kind of person you are."