El Sistema: Music to Change Life

Filmmakers Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier celebrate José Antonio Abreu, whose impact on Venezuela and classical music dates from the 1970s, when Abreu and musician Frank Di Polo founded the music education program El Sistema in hopes of offering a means for children to escape poverty and violence (the program is now 90 percent state funded). Di Polo credits Abreu's political and economic acumen for El Sistema's success (with 265,000 students enrolled at the time of filming—including hundreds with physical and cognitive disabilities—Abreu dreams of increasing enrollment to one million within the next decade). Between practice and performance sequences, Abreu, Di Polo, and several participants talk about El Sistema, but while the students may have a special interest in music, they're much like kids everywhere: rambunctious and competitive. Says trumpet player Yobran about the drummers at La Rinconada, a center where students learn the basics, “They're slackers, troublemakers. They're always messing about.” Other speakers include family members, instructors, directors, and conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel—a graduate of El Sistema—of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (and recently named music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic). Although El Sistema offers a solid overview, deeper biographical attention to Abreu might have made for a more emotionally involving documentary. Abreu articulates his philosophy clearly (“children who are materially poor gain spiritual wealth through music”), but viewers are left to wonder how his own experiences shaped it. DVD extras include the brief segment “Audition for the National Children's Orchestra of Venezuela,” with additional commentary from Dudamel. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)