People Minister Dr Glen Ramadharsingh is teaming up with a Venezuelan organisation to launch a music program for young people.
The minister met Tuesday with representatives of Venezuela's noted 'El Sistema' music education with respect to providing youths at risk with a musical career "as an alternative to crime."
The meeting was coordinated by well-known Trinidadian musician, Pat Bishop and included four representatives of El Sistema, led by Eleazor Yeguez.
El Sistema is a publicly-financed music education program that was founded in 1975 by Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreau. It has over 40 youth orchestras around the country involving about 300,000 children, most of whom are from poor economic backgrounds.
Ramadharsingh told reporters he would love to see the El Sistema model adopted in Trinidad and Tobago since its objectives are consistent with the mandate of the People's Partnership Government.
He said the ministry would contact the Venezuelan ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago to arrange for a delegation of his ministry to go to Venezuela soon to see the work of El Sistema.
Bishop said that she met one of the group's conductors ten years ago in Trinidad where he was learning English and invited him to be a guest conductor with the Lydian Singers.
She suggested that there is a splendid opportunity to promote a healthy life by involvement in the arts. "We just have to do better than we are doing it. We have a little system in the pan world already. What we need is muscle, corporate will, political will, instruments, time, teachers, and we good to go."
She added, "We have a foundation already. It is not only structural, but it is also within the gift of the people. Trinidadians are intensely artistic."
The minister met Tuesday with representatives of Venezuela's noted 'El Sistema' music education with respect to providing youths at risk with a musical career "as an alternative to crime."
The meeting was coordinated by well-known Trinidadian musician, Pat Bishop and included four representatives of El Sistema, led by Eleazor Yeguez.
El Sistema is a publicly-financed music education program that was founded in 1975 by Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreau. It has over 40 youth orchestras around the country involving about 300,000 children, most of whom are from poor economic backgrounds.
Ramadharsingh told reporters he would love to see the El Sistema model adopted in Trinidad and Tobago since its objectives are consistent with the mandate of the People's Partnership Government.
He said the ministry would contact the Venezuelan ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago to arrange for a delegation of his ministry to go to Venezuela soon to see the work of El Sistema.
Bishop said that she met one of the group's conductors ten years ago in Trinidad where he was learning English and invited him to be a guest conductor with the Lydian Singers.
She suggested that there is a splendid opportunity to promote a healthy life by involvement in the arts. "We just have to do better than we are doing it. We have a little system in the pan world already. What we need is muscle, corporate will, political will, instruments, time, teachers, and we good to go."
She added, "We have a foundation already. It is not only structural, but it is also within the gift of the people. Trinidadians are intensely artistic."
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