Up to 150 students\u00a0at four different Winnipeg schools\u00a0have\u00a0benefitted\u00a0from one\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0largest musical education programs\u00a0each year. Now, Sistema Winnipeg\u2019s 15-year legacy of bringing music to at-risk youth is being celebrated with the program\u2019s\u00a0annual Michael Nozick Spring Concert in the West End.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEach year is another year as always bringing as much music, joy, companionship, and a safe place and good food to students,\u201d says musical director Monica Chen, the RBC Assistant Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A\u00a0celebration of growth\u00a0<\/p>\n
Founded in 2011\u00a0by the WSO\u00a0in partnership with the Winnipeg School Division\u00a0and the Seven Oaks School Division, Sistema\u2019s mission to create social change through music has been a wide success. A study conducted by the\u00a0University\u00a0of Manitoba found that participants become more confident\u00a0and make gains in the classroom as well as in the orchestra.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, the goals are the skills that they\u2019re building,\u201d says Chen.\u00a0\u201cThe music is just a canvas on which for them to practice these skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The growth is not only found in the students. Chen notes that she sees growth in herself when she works with the students in their schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually always find it a breath of fresh air whenever I go to\u00a0Sistema,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause with music at the higher levels with the university and at the WSO, everyone\u2019s always dialled into the highest level of excellence and they\u2019re always pushing themselves so far.\u00a0And then, at the opposite end of the spectrum is Sistema, where\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0just starting to discover the joy of being able to play their first piece… and these little budding joys really ground myself as well to see this is where everyone started.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED STORIES<\/p>\n
Cross-community collaborations\u00a0<\/p>\n
All four schools that Sistema Winnipeg\u00a0operates\u00a0in \u2013\u00a0Elwick\u00a0Community School, King Edward Community School, Isaac Newton\u00a0School\u00a0and St. John\u2019s High School \u2013 will be\u00a0joining forces in the annual year-end concert.\u00a0Three different orchestras, choirs,\u00a0woodwind\u00a0and brass groups and a\u00a0fully-combined\u00a0piece will make up the concert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chen says that the experience is another skill-building opportunity for the\u00a0participants. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a great experience to build some team bonding,\u201d she says. \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of bonding and trust that builds through music as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n