Symposium  on  Instrumental  Change  February  12-­‐13,  2015  –  Ottawa,  Canada  

 Executive  Summary  

 On  February  12  and  13,  Ottawa’s  Leading  Note  Foundation,  in  collaboration  with  the  Culture  Programme  of  the  European  Union,  Canada  Council  for  the  Arts,  National  Arts  Centre,  Ottawa-­‐Carleton  District  School  Board,  University  of  Ottawa,  and  Carleton  University,  hosted  a  two-­‐day  symposium  on  the  role  of  music  education  in  child  and  community  development.  The  Symposium  on  Instrumental  Change  brought  together  90  participants  from  across  Canada,  US,  Italy,  and  UK,  most  of  whom  are  directly  involved  in  Sistema-­‐inspired  projects.  

Symposium  organizers  and  participants  share  the  conviction  that  we  must  raise  public  awareness  of  the  benefits  of  participatory  music  education,  and  that  music  education  deserves  to  be  a  priority  on  the  national  agenda.  Canada  Council  for  the  Arts  President  and  CEO  Simon  Brault  highlighted  these  themes  in  his  opening  keynote  address,  emphasizing  the  importance  of  leveraging  the  power  of  the  arts  to  address  local,  national,  and  international  concerns,  including:  

• Capitalizing  on  the  arts’  inclusive  nature  to  support  safe,  respectful  integration  of  diverse  linguistic,  ethnic,  religious,  and  aboriginal  communities  through  expressions  of  identity  and  a  sense  of  belonging;  

• Building  communities  and  habits  of  participation  through  shared  experiences,  emotions,  and  observations  –  fostering  engaged  citizens  and  critical  thinkers;  

• Supporting  an  emerging  national  identity  across  Canada’s  demographic  diversity;  • Using  cultural  diplomacy  to  foster  open  dialogue,  building  Canada’s  international  

connections  through  artistic  initiatives.  

 

 Simon  Brault  addresses  Symposium  participants  

With  these  goals  in  mind,  the  Symposium  offered  a  wide  range  of  presentations,  panel  discussions,  and  interactive  workshops  geared  toward  program  organizers  and  educators.  

 

…  continued

     On  Day  1,  three  plenary  sessions  explored  strategies  to  raise  the  profile  of  music  education,  attract  public  and  private  sector  support  for  music  education  in  and  out  of  school,  build  stable,  successful  organizations,  and  include  research  and  evaluation  in  program  design.  ‘Start  Up,’  with  The  Leading  Note  Foundation’s  Tina  Fedeski  and  Sistema  Toronto’s  David  Visentin;  

• ‘The  Fundraising  Challenge,’  with  Ken  MacLeod  of  Sistema  New  Brunswick  and  Clark  Bryan  of  El  Sistema  Aeolian;  

• ‘Staying  On  Course  and  Evaluation,’  with  Richard  Hallam  of  Sistema  England  and  Dr.  Lisa  Lorenzino  from  McGill  University.  

Fifty  local  high  school  music  teachers  joined  Day  2  of  the  Symposium  for  their  Professional  Development  Day.    The  keynote  address  and  panel  discussion  reinforced  the  critical  role  that  music  teachers  play  in  shaping  students’  lives.  18  workshops  focused  primarily  on  teaching  philosophies,  techniques,  and  tools,  led  by  Teaching  Artists  from  the  OrKidstra  program,  researchers,  and  Sistema  program  directors  from  Canada  and  England.  Participants  learned  about  fostering  improvisation  and  creativity,  string  technique,  developing  peer  leadership,  emotional  and  behavioural  concerns,  and  engaging  young  children  with  music-­‐making,  and  more.  

Workshop  summaries  are  available  through  the  Leading  Note  Foundation  website  at  www.leadingnotefoundation.org/sistema/symposium-­‐2015/  

The  two-­‐day  event  ended  with  an  upbeat  OrKidstra  concert,  celebrating  the  40th  anniversary  of  El  Sistema  by  performing  Alma  Llanera  –  recognized  as  Venezuela’s  second  anthem  –  before  the  Ambassador  of  Venezuela.