High Access, and High Expectations
In the early 2000’s, when people in the Northern Hemisphere started noticing this phenomenon of massive youth orchestras springing up in every city and town of Venezuela, “El Sistema” became a commonly understood (and often misunderstood) concept among educators. But the fundamentals were clear: create access in communities where access is lacking. Provide all of the resources required. Gather young people for intensive periods of time, to foster rapid skill development. Promote understanding that as an ensemble of players thrives together, it mirrors society at its best, where all cooperate toward a shared goal. In 2013, the Superintendent of the Trenton Public Schools, himself with a background in modern dance, prioritized the revitalization of the arts in schools, and teamed up with us to provide space for an afterschool orchestra. We began in 2015 with three teachers and thirty violinists at one school. By 2021, Trenton Music Makers has included over 200 violinists, violists, cellists and bassists from 26 of Trenton’s public, charter, and parochial schools. We had consolidated from four different school locations to a single high-powered orchestra site at Westminster Presbyterian Church, an activist urban community hub in the East Ward on the border of Chambersburg and the Wilbur District. In September 2022, we kicked off the school year performing at an event organized by El Sistema New Jersey Alliance, hosted by the United Children’s Music Project in Weehawken. Participating in such events gives us the opportunity to travel, meet other young musicians from Sistema-inspired programs in NJ with the same musical interest, make friends and present and perform our work as TMM to a wide audience. And in October, we launched our Percussion Ensemble. This came with our Artistic Director’s vision to build the “Trenton Sound,'' recreating the rich rhythms that represent our students’ cultures, mixing it with western classical music and string instruments. With this addition, we’ve made room for drumming to be a part of the TMM identity as the percussion ensemble performs with the orchestra as well. We continue to develop a strong percussion program to go hand to hand with the string program.
CAPITAL HARMONY WORKS | ANNUAL REPORT 2022-23
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