We have recently completed a written pedagogy outlining a specific technique for teaching our students. This technique closely matches the successful program in Venezuela, and calls heavily on the work of Paulo Friere, Jean Piaget, and music educators such as Émile Jaques-Dalcroze and Zoltán Kodály. We rely mostly on Dalcroze’s Eurhythmics and Kodály’s Method with our youngest children, ages 4-6, to help them understand music through embodiment, and to engage in fun and motivating musical activities. We have implemented a tandem 3-educator program for the 4-6 year olds, and are using the El Sistema practice of 1 educator and 3 assistants for the violin class.

The Teachers College of Columbia University in collaboration with Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center and the Heritage School developed an approach that celebrates the integrity of each youth without forbidding the expression of rage, frustration and oppression. We have adapted this into a principle we call “finding the integral voice.” Further, we have adapted lessons learned in educational research in the inner city to provide for the continuous attention of all students in a technique we refer to as “active engagement” in each educational process. This, in consort with Mastery Learning (which requires 90% success for passing), is conducive to self-mastery and excellence as a birthright. Finally, by cultivating an environment where the young person’s desire becomes the focus, we interface the discipline and rigor of an orchestral training program with a nurturing of the individual.