It's been just under three weeks since my last post, and more air miles than I'd care to remember right now. I'm back in Caracas for the moment, after a whirlwind North American tour that included auditions with two major orchestras within the space of a week. I'm happy to say I made the final … Continue reading Seeing (la) red
Concerted effort
I really don't care for Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. That's hardly musical blasphemy, given that Tchaikovsky himself didn't think much of the work, but I conducted it yesterday in a public performance and I loved every minute of it. The performance was part of a "concierto didactico" presented by the Orquesta Juvenil y Infantil Acarigua Araure … Continue reading Concerted effort
FVS update
I don't generally do a play-by-play blog, but I'm currently in Acarigua - Araure, a small town in Portuguesa state, and dealing with very intermittent internet connectivity. As a result, I haven't been able to upload new videos for a few days. I'm still capturing footage and will make it available online as soon as … Continue reading FVS update
Practical but imperfect in every other way…
Not too long ago I was described as someone close to the el Sistema movement as a "hardened skeptic." I found the attempted insult or condescension interesting. I'm not sure if my "hardened skepticism" manifests in my blog, but upon further reflection I think it might actually be something of a compliment. Musicians are an … Continue reading Practical but imperfect in every other way…
Special Education Programs – FESNOJIV
I'm going to break with my normal practice in this blog and describe briefly the photographs below, relating to the Fundacíon's Special Education Programs. The first four pictures of the gallery form a pedagogical unit, so to speak. The salient feature of the first image is the multi-coloured strip of tape crossing the fingerboard of … Continue reading Special Education Programs – FESNOJIV
Special Education Program – Image Gallery
FESNOJIV Video Study update
There are now seven videos available online via the link at the right, just random musical moments from Venezuela, none longer than 3'10". Check them out, and then leave your comments or thoughts. See for yourself what happens here.
Addressed for Success
I was watching Venezuelan television the other day in my hotel room when I saw what I thought was a program devoted to FESNOJIV. I caught a glimpse of those distinctive tri-colour jackets, as made famous by the Símon Bolívar Orchestra at the Proms, and paused in my channel surfing. Surprisingly, it had nothing to … Continue reading Addressed for Success
Introducing the FESNOJIV Video Study
I'd like to invite your help with something. As part of our Venezuelan visit, the Abreu Fellows are attempting an ambitious data gathering project in order to shed a more scientific light on el Sistema (henceforth to be referred to as FESNOJIV, in this blog.) With the help of the Music in Education National Consortium … Continue reading Introducing the FESNOJIV Video Study
Il Maestro dice…
Last week the Fellows watched a short documentary on el Sistema, filmed and released in 1999 by a European production company. The content itself was largely unsurprising, presenting a nominal snapshot of the organization as it existed 11 years ago, with the most intriguing element coming from Dr. Abreu himself. He was featured fairly prominently … Continue reading Il Maestro dice…
Jonathan Andrew Govias 