Surfing through the trash on Sunday afternoon TV, I tripped across Ovation TV's broadcast of the documentary El Sistema: Music for a Brighter Future. My bride and I are shed tears of joy watching the teaching, learning, and joy on the faces of the students as they learn. At about 1:40 into the two-hour documentary, the film shows a choir singing John Rutter's Candlelight Carol (translated to Spanish), with another choir of deaf children signing the piece with equal beauty. Utterly breathtaking, in a film filled with extraordinary moments.
The LA Philharmonic's hot new music director, Gustavo Dudamel, is a product of El Sistema. In watching the documentary, it becomes clear that he may be the most public face of the thirty-something year effort, but he is far from the most important accomplishment.
This must be seen to be appreciated. The DVD is scheduled for release this month. We'll be buying multiples for friends, students, and several un-named dolts we know in academia.
What if we could capture that joyful, hopeful, anything-is-possible spirit here? Again.
Moral values shape culture.
The culture shapes the economy.
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