El Sistema is all about access. The program is free so money is not an issue, instruments are provided, transportation is secured and nucleos are set up so they can be reached by children. Access is a part of how El Sistema empowers children and their communities.

This ideal of access is extended to students with special needs. Knowing this, I was not surprised to see special needs students included at the Guárico concert put on for us this week. I was, however, amazed at the number of special needs students served, the integration they had with their peers and the wealth of curriculum and opportunities provided for them.

Watching the white hands choir- a choir of deaf students- gracefully sign the words their peers with special needs sang was remarkable. How unlikely that these students should come together to create such beautiful music. Whatever seems impossible, El Sistema does.

The woman singing the solos has used the special needs choir to become an incredible adult leader in her community. As the nucleo director explained, “she has never let her disability slow her down or stop her from becoming an incredible leader and inspiration to us all.”

Those who teach special needs El Sistema students are musicians who go to college to study special education and special needs. They come back to El Sistema and combine their music training with their extensive knowledge of special needs to create a new pedagogy and curriculum.

This video is from the white hands choir theory class- students must spend some time learning to read music and internalize rhythm before they join the choir. The teacher explained that it is difficult for deaf students to internalize rhythm without a reference, so each rhtyhm is assigned a word. For instance, four sixteenth notes becomes “mariposa” (butterfly). Notice that they are performing the rhythm on the board through body percussion and speaking.

Lastly- the clip below is from our concert at Guarico when two blind snare drum players performed a duet. This concert was a combination of kids from all over the state, from choirs to orchestras to folk music. No ensemble or performance was placed higher than another- all were seen as important and valuable. The El Sistema students themselves though were especially and sincerely supportive of their special needs peers, as you can see and hear in this clip.

This is orchestra building community. Students learn to have empathy, understanding and respect for one another and to see potential rather than barriers. Everyone is an asset.

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