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Level 4
El Sistema founder dies
Nicolás Maduro is the president of
Venezuela. On March 24, he announced
three days of national mourning. The
president’s declaration followed the news that
José Antonio Abreu had died. He was 78
years old. Abreu is best known for a music
project he set up. Called El Sistema (the
system), it helped hundreds of thousands of
children from poor Venezuelan families.
Abreu was born in 1939. He worked as a
politician and economist. Abreu was
interested in classical music. He played the
organ and conducted orchestras. In 1975,
Abreu founded a music education program.
Later, it became known as El Sistema. At that
time, there were only two symphony
orchestras in Venezuela.
It’s said that El Sistema began in an underground parking lot. Abreu gathered 11 children for a musical
rehearsal. Abreu told the children that they would “make history”. At the next rehearsal 25 children came.
All were from poor families. Numbers continued to grow. Abreu persuaded government officials to pay for
instruments and a place were the children could play.
At first, the children could not play the instruments or read music. Some were as young as three. All were
included in the orchestra. As soon as someone could play a few notes, they taught the others. Over time,
more than 100 El Sistema music schools were set up. The children rehearse for four hours a day, after
school, six days a week. By their teens, many are far better musicians than older orchestra members in
other countries. Some former El Sistema students join professional orchestras in other countries.
In the mid-1990s, Abreu created a special group. Its members were selected from all the different El
Sistema music schools. The group was named the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. In Venezuela,
Simón Bolívar (1783 – 1830) is a national hero. He was born in Caracas, now the country’s capital. At that
time, Spain controlled much of South America. Bolívar was a general who helped Venezuela and five other
South American nations become independent countries.
The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra travels to perform concerts in other countries. Their performances
are very popular and always “sell out”. In recent years, places in other countries such as the U.S. and
Britain have set up their own versions of Abreu’s El Sistema. As in Venezuela, these are for children from
poor families. However, in recent years, some people have criticized Venezuela’s El Sistema program.
They claim that it can be too harsh and some children are treated badly.
Abreu’s coffin was placed in the main El Sistema
concert hall in Caracas. Thousands of people
walked past it. As they did so, students played
compositions by many famous classical composers
such as Bach and Beethoven. Mr. Maduro visited
the concert hall. He said “the maestro has passed
away. Thank you for everything you’ve given us”.
Comprehension Questions:
1. For what is José Antonio Abreu best
known?
2. What did Abreu persuade the government
officials to do?
3. What did Abreu create in the mid-1990s?
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do some people criticize El Sistema?
2. Why do you think Mr. Abreu created a music education program for poor children?
3. Is a good idea for children to learn how to play musical instruments?
4. What is the ideal age to begin music lessons?
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