Read the following new article and finish the exercises that…
Read the following new article and finish the exercises that follow. El Sistema – Changing Education and Communities 1. Education is about learning math, science, and history, right? Perhaps, but one man in Venezuela is sure that education is about a lot more than that. 2. Dr. Jose’ Abreu sees education as a way out of poverty for children and a way to change communities. He thinks this is all possible through music education. In 1975, Dr. Abreu began El Sistema (Spanish for The System), a program that provides an education in classical music to the young people of Venezuela, especially those who live in the poorest communities. 3. Dr. Abreu wanted the children to have the opportunity to learn classical music, but he also wanted them to learn about personal responsibility, the importance of hard work, and working effectively in a group. He wanted to include the families and communities in order to provide support for the young musicians. Today, more than 300,000 young people in Venezuela are participating in El Sistema. The program has been so successful that it is now expanding rapidly. Programs based on this approach have been launched in locations all over the world and now reach almost 2 million young people. 4. This success made scholars wonder how broad its impact might be. In other words, they wanted to know if the program has impact beyond the development of the children’s musical abilities. Several studies of music education have found that it can have a range of positive effects. One study found that studying music “enhances child development, providing intellectual and emotional benefits that last a life time.” This effect was particularly strong among children who play a musical instrument. 5. In general, music education is associated with higher academic performance, both in math and in reading. One evaluation found that the program promoted students’ cognitive, personal, and social skills, in addition to their musical skills. It improved their memory, attention, and confidence. Students in the El Sistema program did better in school than students who were not in the program. They were also far more likely to stay in school until graduation. 6. One aspect of these research findings is particularly important. In poor countries or in poor areas of a country, there is often not a lot of money for education, particularly for music education. Perhaps the government feels that music education is optional and the children should concentrate on their studies in math, language, and science instead. However, it is exactly these poor children who could get the greatest benefit from a music education program like El Sistema.