A violin, cello and viola can make beautiful music. For the students in Sistema Kingston, an after-school music program for at‐risk children, those instruments are a source of pride and inspiration.
Last week, 20 students at First Avenue Public School took part in Sistema Kingston’s Paper to Wood Ceremony. The kids exchanged their paper mache instruments – which they made during the first four weeks of the program and used to learn proper posture, care, and bow movement – for real violins, cellos and violas. The result was a ceremony filled with joy, music, performances and proud family members.
“The kids’ desire to work hard enough to get to that special performance place, and to experience the achievement of performing is like nothing else,” says Jan Le Clair, Principal of First Avenue Public School. “The positive feedback loop from your instrument, the audience, and your own efforts is a creative achievement that performance art intrinsically affords.”
“For most of these children, this was their first performance experience and they rose to the occasion,” says Karma Tomm, Director of Queen’s Community Music who initiated and directs the program.
Akela Peoples, President and CEO of The Learning Partnership, the founding partner of Sistema Kingston, found the ceremony inspiring.
“Hearing that students now say ‘I can’t wait to go to school because we have Sistema Today’ captures the essence of this program,” says Ms. Peoples. “It helps students stay in school by providing them with a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. They are looking forward to learning and that will pave the way to a bright future for them.”
The program is modeled on El Sistema, which started in 1975 in Venezuela by a musician/lawyer/politician/teacher who felt music can promote children’s healthy personal development and help children escape the cycle of poverty. Today there are more than 400 Sistema-inspired music programs around the world.
Sistema Kingston’s mission is to promote “positive social change through the pursuit of musical excellence.” Sistema Kingston is offered to children at no cost – the kids are only asked to make a commitment to the program and try their best.
“The vision of Sistema Kingston is to inspire children to reach their full potential as individuals, musicians and citizens. Sadly, our community is economically divided, and there are large numbers of children who simply don't have access to opportunities that others take for granted,” says Ms. Tomm.
Both the young musicians and the university benefit from the program as it provides opportunities for Queen's students as teachers, researchers and volunteers. There are several Queen's students from a variety of disciplines volunteering with the program. A current PhD psychology research project is collecting data on music perception from the program. Dr. Julia Brook, an assistant professor of music education at Queen’s, is involved in the research and evaluation of Sistema Kingston.
“Sistema Kingston provides a unique opportunity for Queen’s students to strengthen their connections to the Kingston community while enhancing their research and teaching skills. Personally, it is a privilege to be part of this program, and to work with such committed students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and community members,” says Prof. Brook.
After seeing the success of the Paper to Wood Ceremony, Ms. Peoples announced The Learning Partnership would make an additional donation of $20,000 if it can be matched by another partner. To join make a gift in support of matching this generous offer for a worthy cause learn more about .
Sistema Kingston is an initiative of Queen’s Community Music, in collaboration with the Limestone District School Board and The Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library, with major funding from The Learning Partnership and additional support from the Community Foundation of Kingston and Area, local businesses and private donors.
