The Symphony For Life Program is very different from conventional music education, and very different from other social change programs for children. The fact that it is both, is in itself a key differentiator. The following defines the program and sets it apart from anything else like it in Australia. MUSIC AS SOCIAL-LEARNING One of the principle roles of music is to provide a significant part of our socialisation within or communities: Tribes use music as a part of ceremonies Indigenous initiation songs and dance We use it to bond armies marching into battle - Marshal music We use it to unite under a flag - Anthems We use it in revolution - 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' We use it to unite and bind a religious congregation Hymns, Call to Prayer, and sung masses We use it in all manner of ways to bring people together under one 'social banner', behaviour and code. It is a uniquely human thing to do. We sing. Symphony For Life is no different in this respect: Symphony For Life uses the collective power of 60 or more children in forming an orchestra, to unite them as one musical, harmonious tribe co-operatively, moving a child from being one, to some, to many - collectively combining for the symphony of their lives. It is a unifying, bonding and deeply socialising process for the children and their community. THE UNIFYING PURPOSE When compared to other music-based education/social-action programs, and while they may have things in common with them, it is the following which completely sets it apart from all other programs: INTENSIVE SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAM - AFTER-HOURS While there are several programs across Australia which offer free music programs for disadvantaged children, a Symphony For Life program is the only one which offers an intensive after-hours, emersion, multi-day per week, music program. It is 'performance-driven' all music rehearsals are geared towards giving regular concerts. PROGRAM IS BASED ON THE CREATION OF ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS Programs use the establishment of an orchestra and the extensive, beautiful classical repertoire available to it. This enables a large number of children to be collectively involved, and to develop into a 50-100-strong community. Through this, they to learn the benefits and values imbued in individual effort and collective teamwork, to form a harmonious whole. It mimics or models, good social behaviour, and the establishment of strong community values. FREE INSTRUMENT AND MUSICAL TUITION It is the only program in Australia which provides a free instrument and free tuition for each and every child. From the perspective of the music tuition, It works on the basis that the best way to become a musician is to 1 P age
be a musician to learn on the job to learn by doing, and refining as you go, or put more simply still, music first, refinement second. This too is unique. AN INCLUSIVE PROGRAM NO ONE IS EXCLUDED As an intensive, music emersion program, another factor which sets it apart: its inclusiveness most music programs offered outside of school in Australia are exclusive, seek to only capture the best and eliminate the rest, and focus on those who can either afford expensive membership, lessons and instruments or who have scholarships for those who can 'afford' it. Symphony For Life programs are free to all who wish to do them, and welcomes everyone. AN ENCOURAGEMENT-ORIENTED, CHILD-CENTRIC PROGRAM Symphony For Life programs have no auditions, no examinations, and are about positive encouragement in music making throughout the musical journey of the child. It is difficult. However, the children see it as a challenge and rise to the occasion accordingly. Symphony For Life programs are focused entirely on the child, but expect and encourage discipline and respect in the young musicians discipline to work very hard, to strive to learn, rehearse and practise regularly and to respect themselves, their instrument and their fellow musicians at all times. There is no participation award - no condescension, only directed encouragement and the empowering of each musician to be the best they can be. There is no criticism of a child musician's attempts to become the best they can be. FOCUS ON CLASSICAL MUSIC IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ORCHESTRA Symphony For Life programs focus entirely on classical music, the orchestra and choir. It is not about hiphop, rock music or jazz, as important as these genres are. Classical music is complex, and in its symphonic form, in many parts, which when combined, forms the music. Thus many children can participate collectively, each playing a key and important part as a community of musicians. The orchestra and choir is a safe haven where no one is made to feel a loner where mistakes are simply treated as points of learning. We learn many things through error and these are often, important ones. A COMMUNITY WHICH LEARNS TO AGREE WITH ITSELF An orchestra is a community where the essential and exclusive feature is, that it is the only community that comes together with the fundamental objective of agreeing with itself. Therefore, the person who plays in an orchestra begins to live the experience of agreement. Jose Antonio Abreu El Sistema This is a very important and key aspect of the Symphony For Life programs they seek and establish agreement, a harmony, as a way of showing the children, that even though life can be difficult, if we work together in harmony for a common good, we will benefit from that individually and collectively. United, we stand, divided, we fall. A ONE-TO-MANY TEACHING SYSTEM In Symphony For Life programs, the process is low 'exposure' for the child because initially and predominantly, all the children are learning at the same time in the same place, and thus, there are few embarrassing moments (if any) for the children everyone sings and plays together. They all work and strive as a team an orchestra of musicians. They succeed together. 2 P age
In Symphony For Life, music is more a team sport - not an individual pursuit. That can come later, when they grow musically! Being together in a team they realise they are there to help each other to work together, to share the experience of music. BENEFITS THE CHILD, THE FAMILY, THE COMMUNITY AND THE WIDER SOCIETY Symphony For Life programs, while focused around the child musician, have significant spread in their effect. This is well documented across the world in many programs. The parents of the children are engaged from the outset and become more involved in the child musician's development as time goes by. From the parents, this spreads into the wider community and engages the wider community, not directly involved in the programs. In the case of the Laverton program, the local police, the school itself, and the local council all became intensely involved and interested in what was happening within the program. One of the police constables even joined the children's orchestra and the children adopted her as a full member of the orchestra, and taught her the basics of violin playing! DIFFERENCE - THE PROGRAM S EFFECT Here's how each stakeholder is involved and benefits from such developments: THE CHILDREN The children learn to play musical instruments and gain skills through music reading, singing, composition and performance. In addition to the intrinsic value of music, these activities are understood to stimulate important cognitive processes which enhance children's abilities in other areas of learning - particularly in literacy, numeracy, and memory. Also in physical co-ordination and movement. Through developing musical skills and expressive capabilities, children in such programs are able to gain valuable life skills such as teamwork, selfesteem, patience, discipline, respect, creativity and concentration. There is substantial empirical data and a large body of research to substantiate all of this. THE PARENTS & FAMILY The parents and families experience happier, more confident children and young people, who may perform better academically as well as musically. Through Symphony For Life programs, their children will gain valuable life skills, allowing the parents to become more confident about their child s future. The program also relieves parents from the pressure of supervising their children immediately after school, offering them valuable time to extend their workday, or carry out other activities themselves. The family is enhanced by having successful, happy children, who more often will be positive and engage better with family activity. THE COMMUNITY The Community will be home to a program that supports youth development, empowers children to work compassionately and cooperatively with their peers, and offers valuable future employment skills in music performance, teaching, and other areas of occupation including professional ones. As a preventative program, this potentially offers the youth a positive path away from crime, delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse. The locality also can benefit from many community concerts, musical celebrations and social events which unite children, schools, family and friends. Through the focus on peer mentorship, the program will present the disadvantaged youth who progress through it with career options in musical teaching, taking some strain off government and welfare programs. 3 P age
THE WIDER COMMUNITY The Symphony For Life program will encourage and enhance the opportunities for schools who have participants in this program, to expand their own music offerings, and support new course opportunities for music in senior high school. Partnerships with tertiary music schools can afford a new flexibility to the next generation of graduate-training musicians, who will know how to use their art in adapting to the social environment of our times. The surge in artistic and community-oriented events will boost the profile of the region. And very importantly, it will familiarise the children, their families and friends with an associated Symphony Orchestra classical music, immediately creating a new audience base that will continue to grow each year. But singularly important, large numbers of young people will emerge with life-long skills, better prepared, more capable and resilient ready to tackle and take advantage of what life offers them. ENTIRELY COMMUNITY-BASED The strongest point of a Symphony For Life project, and that which specifically sets it apart from other such projects is that it is entirely community-based. Typically, all music and music education starts within the community whether that be in the schools, the youth orchestras and bands, the private music studios, community centres or the churches and religious institutions. Music in our community is vital for its health and wellbeing in fact it is a sign of all healthy communities that there is vibrant community-based music taking place. It makes complete sense therefore, for us to concentrate our efforts in this direction, to the community itself. This brings dividends in every direction. It is because of this that we will engage not just with the children and young people, but with their entire community. No other program engages like this. MUSIC AS AN ART-PRACTICE In an artistic sense, similar programs have shown that many fine musicians having being taught in the best and most excellent way, and while other global programs results are showing how well this works to produce, we too can produce the same level of excellence in music here in Australia, and the same level, potentially, that we see in our sporting elite. And like sport, it produces great side-benefits to the general community, with participation, with fans (audiences) increasing and spreading in their diversity. Unlike sport however, there are only winners we are always on the winning team! A team of excellence. MUSIC AS EDUCATION Because it is community-based, and after-hours, it does not seek to replace nor conflict with school-based music education in much the same way that organised sport is run after-hours and on weekends and yet also it is in schools and is practiced and taught in schools. And like the big sporting codes, Symphony For Life programs seek to help school communities with integration processes and the sharing of resources, and so on. Symphony For Life programs are complimentary and collaborative. They are open for review, observation and always for collaboration where compatible offerings may be suitable. The music programs follow strong and well-tested principles of music education and are taught by trained, experienced music teaching artists who typically also teach within the public and private school system, and perform themselves, professionally. 4 P age
A VERY DIFFERENT TEACHING MODEL GROUP 'LEARNING BY DOING' Symphony For Life programs are typified by a learning by doing method, with group teaching. Everyone is enrolled in the orchestra as a musician from day one. All musicians are taught 'on-the-job'. This is a powerful way of teaching and a natural way of learning. It means that the children learn at the same general rate and time, and are taken through as a cohort together rather than individually. A sense of togetherness develops rapidly and also children start to help each other if one child learns something better or faster than another, they start (naturally) to pass this on to their peer. Everyone comes up together to a single standard no one is left behind. For any who do struggle, however, remedial teaching is done in small groups until they learn the skill and music. We also partner any child who needs a special mentor to help them. The rule is always: Music first, refinement later. Symphony For Life programs are predicated on experiential learning. Experiential learning is learning through reflection on doing that is often contrasted with rote learning the more traditional process. Experiential learning focuses on the learning process for the individual. As such, it is concerned with issues such as the relationship of teacher and student, as well as broader issues of educational structure and objectives. An example of experiential learning is going to the zoo and learning through observation and interaction with the zoo environment, as opposed to reading about animals from a book. Thus, one makes discoveries and experiments with knowledge firsthand, instead of hearing or reading about others' experiences. In Symphony For Life programs the children discover music and become increasingly engaged with it, by doing it. It represents fun and a challenge, all rolled into one. A PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION MODEL The Symphony For Life model relies on a level of collaboration either within the Symphony For Life network, or if this is not readily available, externally. There are several reasons why this is the case the children especially need a great deal of contact with other music organisations e.g. symphony orchestras, and other music ensembles. In addition, the community can offer many other things such as a home, rehearsal space, and transportation, access to facilities and to supporting resources including teachers. Such relationships can include, other community organisations, local and state government, the police, large music organisations, university music departments and other such organisations. This model works well, by enabling the component organisations to do what they do well, spreading the load of the delivery of the program. Symphony For Life programs are complex and require several areas of expertise and support, in enabling the program to run with flexibility, intensity and the right mix of social and musical enterprise. This is why the collaboration model is being reproduced across the world, because it enables communities to establish high calibre programs, collectively, effectively and efficiently the solution becoming greater than the sum of the parts. NON-EPHEMERAL Symphony For Life programs are not one-time-events, nor are they 3 month engagements. They are programs which run indefinitely, not unlike community sporting programs. As the orchestras progress, and the children grow both in age and musically, a new orchestra is created with new children inducted, and so on, creating new and add-on orchestras. This can go on through to adulthood for each young musician, and their community. 5 P age