Based on research he conducted in Venezuela, Baker criticised the organisation for the opacity of

its financial affairs and its lack of rigorous evaluation to quantify its claims of miraculous social
transformation.
Reynaldo Trombetta, a Venezuelan musician and writer who has worked with El Sistema, in his
home country and then assisting Lloyd-Webber, set up the programme in the UK, rejected Bakers
allegations.
He said: Im not really sure who Mr Baker spoke to and I have my doubts about the reach of his
research. I have to wonder if he spoke to any of the parents of the kids from the barrios, the slums,
who are desperate to get their kids into El Sistema because for them the alternative is these kids
getting involved in drugs or crime. You would have to ask them if they think El Sistema is a mafia
or a tyranny. More than two million kids have been involved and we still see huge queues, all the
time, of parents desperate to get their children into one of the 300 nucleos [community music
schools]. Most of the people involved are not aspiring to be musicians, they are just in a country
where you dont learn much about excellence, you dont learn much about teamwork, you dont
really learn what you can achieve when you work hard and El Sistema is absolutely still a beacon of
light benefitting a lot of people, even in things like educational literacy and maths skills .

The System, as it is known (the hefty official title of the organisation that runs the project is
Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de
Venezuela) was born more than 30 years ago. But because of its perceived success, President Hugo
Chavez has deemed it in tune with the socialist-revolutionary times. These days, the System has
government funding of $29m (pounds 15m) a year - and it is seen as a flagship of national
achievement, with children from youth orchestras frequently accompanying the comandante on his
excursions as head of state.

Jun 6, 2007
IDB approves US $150 million to support youth orchestras in Venezuela
Program to benefit thousands of children from countrys poorest strata

The Inter-American Development Bank today approved a $150 million loan to support Venezuelas
National System of Youth and Childrens Orchestras in its efforts to provide musical training to
Venezuelan youth.
The IDB loan is part of a $211 million program that also includes a $ 61 million in funds from the
Venezuelan government.
The system, which has trained more than two million boys and girls ages three to 19 in the past 30
years, is made up of the Venezuelan State Foundation for the National System of Youth and
Childrens Orchestras, 126 community-based centers located throughout all the states in the country,
and 326 orchestras and choirs associated with these centers.
The programs ultimate objective is to contribute to improving the lives of Venezuelas boys, girls
and young people, particularly the most disadvantaged among them, said project team leader, Jos
Cuesta.
More than 245,000 Venezuelan youths and children, 67 percent of them belonging to the countrys
poorest strata, are enrolled in the system. Beneficiaries also include disabled youths, such as the
members of the Coro de las Manos Blancas, a choir of deaf girls, boys and young people.
The proposed program seeks to expand the system to 500,000 beneficiaries by 2015.
This loan consolidates and expands the support the Bank has been providing to Venezuelas youth
orchestras since 1998, added Cuesta. This expansion will contribute to the development of human
capital, training in civic values and good behavior, the creation of future employment opportunities
and provide healthy alternatives for the use of free time among beneficiaries.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/nov/24/classicalmusicandopera

Necessarily - to have kept the project going through 30 years of

varying degrees of political instability is a feat. It is important that
the System has always been run independently of government,
though it is funded by the state. A recent coup was to switch that
funding to the revolution-friendly Department for Social
Development and Popular Participation, away from the less
favoured and increasingly cash-starved Department for Culture.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/magazine/28dudamel-t.html

The recording of the anthem was made in the sistemas new Center for Social Action
Through Music, an 11-story, $25 million building on the edge of downtown Caracas
that officially opened at the end of July. I had assumed that its cumbersome name
constituted another blandishment for the Chavistas, but I was wrong. It was a sop to
the Inter-American Development Bank, which helped underwrite it with a $5 million
loan and is now advancing $150 million for the construction of seven other regional
centers of the sistema throughout Venezuela. Development banks prefer to lend
money for infrastructure: sewers, roads, water-treatment plants. Within the I.D.B.,
many bankers objected to a loan for such a frivolous-seeming project.
Other studies link participation in the program to improvements in school attendance
and declines in juvenile delinquency. Weighing such benefits as a falloff in school
dropout rates and a decline in crime, the bank calculated that every dollar invested in
the sistema was reaping about $1.68 in social dividends.

Actualmente El Sistema cuenta con una red de 120 orquestas juveniles y 60 orquestas
infantiles, con un nmero de aproximadamente 350.000 jvenes. La organizacin incluye
tambin talleres para nios y jvenes, en los que aprenden a construir y reparar
instrumentos y programas especiales para chicos con discapacidades o dificultades de
aprendizaje, como el Coro de Manos Blancas, compuesto por nios sordos. La FESNOJIV
presta asistencia tcnica y organizativa a todas las escuelas pblicas que solicitan su
integracin en el sistema musical y se apoya en las asociaciones de vecinos, de padres,
ayuntamientos y representaciones institucionales para facilitarles los locales de ensayo o
los instrumentos musicales necesarios.

En el marco de la Misin Msica se afirma la vocacin nacionalista de El Sistema con el

Programa Alma Llanera. Su fundamento es la iniciacin, desarrollo y profundizacin del
estudio de la msica folclrica venezolana, a travs de una estructura pedaggica y
artstica que copia el modelo acadmico y filosfico de El Sistema.
Ms adelante bajo la tutela del estado venezolano la FESNOJIV fue adscrita al Ministerio de
Familia, Salud y Deportes con la meta de usar la msica para la proteccin de la niez por
medio del entrenamiento, rehabilitacin y prevencin del comportamiento criminal

El Sistema is a publicly financed voluntary sector music education program in Venezuela,

founded in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician and activist Jos Antonio
Abreu [1] which later adopted the motto Social Action for Music. To say it another way, it
is "free classical music education that promotes human opportunity and development for
impoverished children," as quoted from the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic
Studies.[2] By 2015, according to official figures, El Sistema consisted of over 400 music
centers and 700,000 young musicians. The program provides 4 hours of musical training
and rehearsal per week day after school, as well as work on the weekends. [1]

EL Sistema de Orquestas Juveniles e

Infantiles de Venezuela
El Sistema Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela es una obra
social y cultural del Estado venezolano. Tambin conocido como El Sistema, fue concebido
y fundado en 1975 por el maestro y msico venezolano Jos Antonio Abreu para
sistematizar la instruccin y la prctica colectiva e individual de la msica a travs de
orquestas sinfnicas y coros, como instrumentos de organizacin social y de desarrollo
humanstico.

Este modelo pedaggico, artstico y social, que ha alcanzado relevancia en el mundo

entero, constituye el programa de responsabilidad social de mayor impacto en la historia
de Venezuela. Su rgano rector es la Fundacin Musical Simn Bolvar (FundaMusical
Bolvar).

En el marco de las relaciones de cooperacin entre la Fundacin Musical Simn Bolvar, rgano rector del Sistema
Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, y el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el
Desarrollo (PNUD), se suscribi el Proyecto Apoyo a la inclusin social, cultura de paz y resiliencia de nias, nios,
adolescentes y jvenes a travs de la educacin musical
El Ministro del Poder Popular del Despacho de la Presidencia y Seguimiento de la
Gestin de Gobierno, Jorge Mrquez; el Ministro del Poder Popular de Planificacin,
Ricardo Menndez; el Representante del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el
Desarrollo (PNUD), Sr. Petter Grohmann; y el Director Ejecutivo de la Fundacin
Musical Simn Bolvar, Eduardo Mndez, firmaron la alianza que permitir apoyar el
proceso de expansin y consolidacin de El Sistema a travs de la inclusin masiva de
nios, nias, adolescentes y jvenes provenientes de comunidades vulnerables del
pas en su modelo pedaggico e incidir en la mejora de sus condiciones de vida.
Este proyecto de cooperacin representa una tercera fase de la alianza entre ambas

instituciones a favor de la inclusin social y la erradicacin de la pobreza a travs de la

educacin musical, que se ha extendido por ms de 15 aos de trabajo articulado.

Asimismo, se tiene contemplado estrechar los lazos de cooperacin, solidaridad y

complementariedad a travs de acuerdos con otras instituciones del estado para

expandir el alcance de las actividades que permanentemente desarrolla el Sistema

Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela en el marco de sus

planes de trabajo y de la participacin que lleva a cabo con el PNUD.

Finalmente, este proyecto apoyar las actividades que ejecuta El Sistema en cuatro

reas: ampliacin de capacidades para la formacin musical, fortalecimiento de los

talleres de lutera a nivel nacional, dotacin de equipos e instrumentos musicales y

apoyo en la estrategia de sostenibilidad financiera de la institucin para lograr

incorporar ms de un milln de nios, nias y adolescentes para el ao 2019.

Esta nueva alianza con el PNUD permitir la expansin y consolidacin para alcanzar

una mayor inclusin de nios, nias y adolescentes en el Sistema Nacional de

Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, cuyo rgano rector es la

Fundacin Musical Simn Bolvar, adscrita al Ministerio del Poder Popular para el

Despacho de la Presidencia y Seguimiento de la Gestin de Gobierno de la Repblica

Bolivariana de Venezuela.

Il segreto del metodo sta nella quasi totale abolizione della lezione individuale a favore di una
precoce pratica orchestrale. Il bambino a cinque o sei anni suona gi nella sua prima orchestra di
flauti; a sette comincia a familiarizzare con lo strumento scelto ed in breve tempo suona nella prima
vera e propria orchestra del sistema: la Preinfantil, poi arrivano in progressione la Infantil e la
Jovenil. Stare in gruppo fa s che il bambino non apprenda solo quello che insegna il maestro, ma
anche quello che vede fare da un amico pi grande ed esperto al suo fianco, si creano cos
imitazione e sana competizione, ed il gruppo cresce a velocit formidabile.
La lezione individuale serve solo per correggere le parti orchestrali o per insegnare larmonia e la
teoria della musica. Anche in questo caso per il metodo capovolto: il compito dellinsegnante
quello di spiegare ai ragazzi non quello che andranno a suonare, bens quello che gi stanno
suonando.

The State Foundation for the National System of Youth and Childrens Orchestras of Venezuela (FESNOJIV -
Fundacin del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela) is an organization
committed to social development through an innovative and hope-instilling music education program, distinguished
by its excellence and for having a positive impact on the communities where it is implemented.
As a seedbed for thousands of Venezuelan youngsters, the State Foundation for the National System of Youth and
Childrens Orchestras of Venezuela is bearing fruit: those Venezuelan youngsters who go through El Sistema fulfill
their dreams of personal and professional realization through music. These young musicians provide a daily
example of self-improvement and vitality to their fellow Venezuelans. The fruit of their effort attests to the struggle
engaged in to make the so-called Venezuelan music miracle endure and extend to other spheres of culture.

Music is not only the product of the talent and virtuosity of its creators; it is the reflection of the soul of the peoples
and, in this case, is the outgrowth of an education program that over the past 33 years has spread beyond our
borders and has surpassed all expectations.

In the past, art was a matter of minorities for minorities; then it became a matter of minorities for majorities.
Nowadays it is a matter of majorities for majorities and a key element to educating and allowing people to
integrate successfully into society.

The State Foundation for the National Youth and Childrens Orchestra of Venezuela was established on February
20, 1979 (Decree N 3039, Official Gazette N 31681) with the purpose of preparing highly qualified musicians and
obtaining the finance required to execute its plans, activities and programs.

The State Foundation for the National System of Youth and Childrens Orchestras of Venezuela (FESNOJIV) was
founded in 1996 in order to promote and develop the youth and childrens orchestras formed or that may be
formed by El Sistema across the country; as well as to implement activities and programs aiming at the education
and training of the orchestras members.

The FESNOJIV is attached to the Ministry of Peoples Power for Participation and Social Protection, for bringing
individual benefits to youngsters and having a positive impact on the family, the community and therefore, on the
society.

The FESNOJIV supports the Simon Bolivar National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, the National Youth
and Childrens Orchestra of Venezuela, the local and regional youth and childrens symphony orchestras, the choral
and chambers groups born in the bosom of El Sistema, as well as the academic and operational centers.

From a functional, educational, artistic and administrative point of view, El Sistema is made up of Ncleos
operating in many cities and towns of Venezuela, thus integrating a complex and systematic network
encompassing more than 150 youth orchestras and 70 childrens orchestras.
The Ncleo serve as an example and a school of social life wherein orchestral and choral activities developed by
the community take place. 300,000 youngsters attend the 190 Ncleos attached and coordinated by the
FESNOJIVs Sectorial Division for Music Academic Training.
In the last two decades, the local professional symphony orchestras emerged from El Sistema have become
independent state-funded organizations which have joined together in the Federacin de Orquestas Sinfnicas
Regionales de Venezuela (Federation of Regional Symphony Orchestras of Venezuela).

Country: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Description of the assignment: IC/028/2017/FUNDAMISICAL CONSULTANCY, ADVICE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A
CROWDFUNDING STRATEGY FOR THE NATIONAL SYSTEM OF YOUTH AND CHILDRENS ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS
OF VENEZUELA.

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=115842

IC/028/FUNDAMUSICAL/2017 IC/028/2017/FUNDAMUSICAL CONSULTANCY, ADVICE

AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CROWDFUNDING STRATEGY FOR THE NATIONAL
SYSTEM OF YOUTH AND CHILDRENS ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS OF VENEZUELA.
Caracas, July 24, 2017 AMENDMENT 02 In terms of reference, it is necessary to change the
number of additional students from 200,000 to 313,000. The correction has been made in the TORS
paragraph. Please see the following paragraph. To date, The System has been able to include
approximately 800,000 girls, boys and young people (75% with scarce financial resources)
throughout the national territory. However, the goal is to have 1,000,000 beneficiaries by 2019. The
addition of 313,000 additional students to this pedagogic model involves an incremental investment
in musical instruments, teachers, logistics and infrastructure, to accommodate them in the different
and increasingly large musical teaching centers (cores) distributed throughout the country with the
quality and excellence that characterize The System

El Programa de Apoyo al Centro Nacional de Accin Social por la Msica Fase II, se viene
ejecutando gracias al Contrato de Prstamo 1869/OC-VE, suscrito entre la Repblica Bolivariana de
Venezuela y el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID).
Este contrato tiene un presupuesto asignado de doscientos once millones de dlares (US$
211.000.000,00), de los cuales sesenta y un millones de dlares (US$ 61.000.000,00) corresponden
al aporte local de la nacin y ciento cincuenta millones de dlares (US$ 150.000.000,00) al aporte
externo proveniente del BID.

Objetivo
Mejorar las condiciones de vida de los nios, nias y adolescentes del pas, especialmente
de los ms desfavorecidos, por medio de la expansin eficiente y eficaz del Sistema
Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, es el objetivo principal
de este programa. Adems, persigue mejorar la formacin del capital humano y la siembra
de valores cvicos y de buena conducta, generando mejores oportunidades de trabajo en el
futuro y la ampliacin de la oferta de alternativas para un mejor uso del tiempo libre.

Desarrollo estratgico
Tiene como objetivo la formacin de 1500 docentes, la adquisicin y entrega de 21.900
instrumentos musicales, as como de material didctico de enseanza. Hasta la fecha ya se han
comprado 19.701 instrumentos musicales, de los cuales se han distribuido 18.029, y se han reparado
350 instrumentos. Se adquirieron 9000 discos en formato DVD y 36.500 en CD, que contienen
material didctico del maestro Gustavo Dudamel y la Orquesta Sinfnica Simn Bolvar de
Venezuela.

R
e
p

Sistema de seguimiento y evaluacin

r
o
d
uEste componente est dirigido al diseo e implementacin de un sistema de informacin
cintegral que automatice y mejore los procesos que se llevan a cabo en FundaMusical
tBolvar, y muestre los logros obtenidos por el programa. Al da de hoy, ya se contrat la
oconsultora que llevar a cabo este ajuste.
r

Inversin fsica
d
e
Este componente contempla la construccin de la superestructura del Centro de Formacin
vDocente (CFD), ubicado en el Boulevard Santa Rosa, sector Quebrada Honda, Caracas,
Municipio Libertador. En la actualidad, ya se encuentra terminada la fase de infraestructura
ddel CFD. Adems, existe un avance del 37% de la superestructura, lo que equivale a 52,75%
edel total del edificio. Se ha dado cumplimiento a la contratacin de asesoras especializadas
oen diferentes reas: arquitectura, ingeniera mecnica, sanitaria y elctrica, entre otras.
La prima sorpresa stata non trovare alcuna recensione,
articolo, studio che riportasse fonti attendibili, informazioni
scientifiche. Non esistevano poi pareri negativi. Il Sistema
sembrava impeccabile. Nessuna critica da parte di alcuno. Alla
mia richiesta di visionare i documenti mi stato risposto un
secco no. Non per cattiveria ma perch il Sistema non ha
nessun archivio. In Venezuela effettivamente il concetto di
archivio molto relativo e quei pochi agglomerati di documenti
spesso sono incompleti e disordinati anche nelle biblioteche
nazionali. la gente resta a parlare oppure si cela dietro una
sorta di copione da recitare ad arte. Pi che unorchestra un
campo militare Dal punto di vista pedagogico Baker rileva
quanto El Sistema sia antiquato e conservatore. Non vedo
nulla di rivoluzionario in termini di apprendimento artistico.
Tutto basato sulla disciplina, sullobbedienza e poco spazio al
pensiero critico e alla creativit. Non c nessuna attenzione
alle nuove scuole sulla didattica musicale. Allinterno del
sistema ci sono importanti dinamiche di potere. Si tratta di
unistituzione gerarchica, autocratica. Sia le risorse umane che
quelle economiche sono incanalate verso il vertice
dellorganizzazione. Lobiettivo formare queste orchestre
spettacolo che devono girare per il mondo e conquistare il
pubblico. Anche laspetto economico del Sistema presenta
non poche criticit. Lontano dalle telecamere e dalle
delegazioni ufficiali ci sono tanti insegnanti scontenti, pagati a
ore e con pochi benefici. Nessuno sembra essere preoccupato
per la loro condizione. Eppure i soldi non sono mai mancati al
Sistema, soprattutto dopo quel fatidico concerto alla Carnegie
Hall che rafforz anche lappoggio incondizionato e il controllo
di Hugo Chvez. E coeva al concerto la pubblicazione di uno
studio effettuato dall IDB (Inter-America Development Bank)
che evidenzia come per ogni dollaro investito nel Sistema, si ha
un guadagno netto di 1,68 dollari per il Venezuela. Sulla base di
questi dati lIDB propone un finanziamento di centocinquanta
milioni di dollari per il progetto. A fronte di una cifra cos
sproporzionata e sulla base di un nuovo studio pi approfondito
fatto da alcuni membri un po scettici della IDB sul rapporto
costi-benefici del Sistema, si decide di stanziare un milione di
dollari e di attendere risultati pi certi a fine 2013. Il giornalista
Igor Toronyi Lalic, su Classical Music Magazine nel 2012 dice:
Non vi alcuna prova che il Sistema venezuelano funzioni,
come anche il suo principale finanziatore, la BIS (Bank for
International Settlements che collabora a stretto contatto con
lIDB, ndr), ammette. Per di pi, sembra chiaro che non ci siano
dati certi sino a fine 2013. Baker aggiunge: A marzo 2015
questi dati non erano ancora disponibili. Storicamente il
binomio musica e politica sempre stato critico. Il Sistema non
da meno. Fin dallorigine Abreu ha dichiarato di essere in
dialogo con tutte le forze politiche: il Sistema uno strumento
del popolo, sostenuto dal potere. Di tuttaltro parere Hugo
Chvez che di El Sistema rivendica addirittura la paternit. A
denunciarne lillegittima appropriazione sar apertamente la
pianista venezuelana Gabriela Montero sulle colonne del New
York Times: Chvez si impadronito del Sistema. Nel 2010
Chvez, con il benestare di Abreu, affida il controllo diretto del
Sistema al suo ufficio di presidenza. Sempre pi di frequente
sia Abreu sia Dudamel compaiono in pubblico col dittatore.
Nellestate 2011, durante le celebrazioni per il bicentenario
dellindipendenza del Venezuela, Dudamel dirige un gruppo di
orchestre nate dal Sistema, sovrastato da un maxi schermo che
proietta la foto del Dittatore con una scritta: Palante
Comandante! (Avanti, comandante!). Durissimo il commento
di Sal Godoy Gmez, editorialista del quotidiano El Universal:
Le orchestre venezuelane sono state utilizzate come
coperture; un grottesco spettacolo per coprire uno dei governi
al mondo che pi viola i diritti umani. Anche con il governo di
Nicolas Maduro il Sistema ottiene ingenti finanziamenti. Baker
non si capacita: Il Venezuela ormai da anni in una profonda
crisi, il paese al collasso, ma Maduro, degno successore di
Chvez, continua a elargire fondi al Sistema. Molte tourne
sono finanziate dal governo che ne ha fatto un modo di fare
propaganda planetaria.