The Art of Bringing People Together
For eight days this summer, more than 140 children from 21 different El Sistema-based projects all over Europe came together in Madrid, Spain to form the 6th edition of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra (SEYO), hosted by the local foundation Acción por la Música. They practiced each day in celebration of their shared values, their music heritage, and in preparation for their final concert in Madrid’s National Music Auditorium. The students displayed incredible motivation throughout the week as they had more than 7 hours of rehearsals, sectionals, and lessons each day, while constantly engaging with new faces and friends. Not only did they keep up with the program’s rigorous schedule, but they also showed amazing personal and artistic growth. I was blown away by the passion each participant radiated as they gave all of themselves to the communal experience of creating music for a shared purpose.
The music cycle
I grew up participating in various summer programs, camps, and festivals, and later studied music performance. This education led me to be familiar with the rhythms of rehearsal and concert cycles, the camaraderie felt between musicians, the communal energy of adrenaline before a concert, and the pride and sense of accomplishment felt afterwards. I had often been on stage, but I was rarely a part of the behind-the-scenes work of organizing such an event.I realized my need for these skills when I was invited to move to Frankfurt, Germany to join an organization doing integration work in refugee centers. I started to think about how to use the gift of music as a tool for social impact. I began looking for ways to use music to connect both children and adults with a migration background to each other, to their new local communities, and to those who wanted to contribute to their journey of rebuilding their lives in some way.
I quickly learned that my performance expertise wasn’t all that was needed in order to use music to impact these communities in a positive way.
In my search, I was fortunate to discover the Global Leaders Program (GLP), and I was accepted to the executive graduate certificate study course. This program helped me to build a toolkit in social entrepreneurship, community development, and organization management. It was because of the GLP’s partnership with Acción por la Música that I had the opportunity to do my field assignment with SEYO 2022. Being on the SEYO logistics team, my goal was to learn organizational management skills first-hand. To develop my teaching artistry practice, I had the opportunity to design improvisation workshops to bring students of diverse cultures and music traditions together as they learned to improvise together in chamber ensembles.
First SEYO rehearsal on July 8th, 2022 Photos: Monteserín Photography, Acción por la Música, Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra
As inspiring as the SEYO prospectus sounded on paper and in theory, I was shocked by the reality of dozens of cultures and mother languages coming together in one building. Our logistics team was spread between communicating schedule changes, optimizing commutes to rehearsal rooms, and meeting differing dietary restrictions –all while trying to maintain a fun and welcoming atmosphere for the students and their teachers. What I realized during the week was that music in itself wasn’t the magic that allowed the week to progress, but rather the collective ownership and dedication that each participant brought with them. I saw evidence of the importance of shared values as each chaperone, teacher, and staff worked together to pursue something we all believed worth investing into the next generation and our world. It took great intentionality of effort, patience, and creativity to shape the experience we wanted these students to receive.
The student’s brilliant performance and electric energy was our reward at the end of the week; their shouts of joy on the stage, tearful embraces after the concert, and celebratory dance party into the night was proof that the work we put into crafting this opportunity had the intended outcome. I noticed briefly that evening how this endeavor of cultivating such an event could become addictive in a way. It was so fulfilling to see students celebrating themselves, their cultures, their talents, and each other: young people, who would have by no other means been connected– were connected through their shared passion.
Introductions of chaperones and staff at SEYO Photos: Monteserín Photography, Acción por la Música, Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra
Leaving Spain and returning home to Frankfurt, I noticed a change in the way I thought of my future plans of impacting those I meet and welcome in Germany. I remember the contagious excitement of the students the night of their final concert, and I have started to see that the process it took to design such an experience is itself an art. Visualizing the end result we desire for our participants inspires the dynamics of how we work backwards from that goal. We can use the art of imagination to create a holistic program that mobilizes the spirit of each student and fosters the collaboration of each person involved. I am grateful for this experience which will continue to teach me how to see each detail of organizational management as instrumental in the creative process of bringing people together.
Grace Laminack
2022 Cohort Member, Global Leaders Program
Music Diplomacy - Stories from the World has partnered with The Global Leaders Program to share highlights of music diplomacy cases from around the world. The Global Leaders Program empowers cultural changemakers to grow organizations that impact communities through an innovative twelve-month Executive MBA in Arts Innovation. Led in partnership with nine top universities and think tanks, a world-class faculty and a network of institutional fieldwork hosts spanning 40+ nations, the program is offered annually to an executive cohort of 60 accomplished arts professionals from around the globe.
