By teaching children how to make music together, Jose Antonio Abreu has helped transform the lives of some of Venezuela’s most vulnerable residents.
Four decades ago he began the "El Sistema" program with 11 children living in poverty. Today 500,000 youngsters are inspired yearly in that country as well as other youth across the globe.
El Sistema is now lighting up the faces of some 20 kids at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Kalihi. The church, which serves a low-income neighborhood, directs much of its outreach to recent Pacific island immigrants. Since September, El Sistema has been offered eight hours a week as a free after-school program.
"We wanted this program at the church because music can often do what sports and even school cannot: give a sense of participating in something beautiful to our kids," said the Rev. David Gierlach of St. Elizabeth’s.
"Music is one of God’s most wonderful gifts to us, and to have children who live in public housing get a chance to share in that gift is a great privilege."
Private donors pitched in $45,000 for the purchase of 30 recorders (a flutelike instrument for beginners), 10 violins and several cellos, and to pay music teachers. Some of the musical instruments used at St. Elizabeth’s were donated. Contributions were made by the McInerny Foundation, the Oio Fund and Dot Mason through the Honolulu Community Foundation, and Carl and Kathy Crosier, Gierlach said.
Louise King Lanzilotti, chief executive officer of Kalikolehua-El Sistema Hawaii, started the nonprofit in 2010 when there were only about three similar programs in the U.S. Now there are more than 50, she said.
Kalikolehua-El Sistema Hawaii made its debut at Kaaawa Elementary School. The after-school program at St. Elizabeth’s followed. At St. Elizabeth’s, Lanzilotti and five assistant teachers are focusing on singing, playing the recorder and the violin.
Lanzilotti, who ran the Honolulu Theatre for Youth for nine years, has long been involved in music and arts education.
"Our goals are social change through musical excellence; we want them to play music and sing as well as they possibly can. It’s not just fun," she said. "Even more important is that they learn discipline and focus, and how to survive by being a focused person. That way they can control their own fate."
Lanzilotti continued, "At first it was very chaotic, which is common, but now it’s really, really gelling. We have kids help each other, and that’s one of the ways they learn to be a community. They’re pretty great kids."
The nonprofit’s name, Kalikolehua, combines the Hawaiian word for bud, kaliko, with the name of the flower associated with the goddess Pele. Lanzilotti said the bud symbolizes children, and lehua is the first plant to push through the soil after a volcanic eruption. The name represents the idea that "you can struggle up from (the ground) to create beauty and change your life."
At a recent concert held at the church, Fane Lino snapped photos and smiled, chuckling a bit while watching her two boys perform. Her family moved from Tonga to Hawaii in 2007.
"Before, they cannot sing or play instruments, only ukulele. Now they play violin and recorder. Before, they didn’t know how to read notes, but now they can do that. They really like it. At first they say, ‘Oh, Mom, it’s so boring. It’s so hard.’ Now they cannot miss (class)."
Lino added, "Even when we say family prayers in the evening, they play. … You can hear them playing even in the bathroom. I think they play in front of the mirror."
She and others encouraged other parents to have their children join, touting the program as a chance to help develop a talent that could one day lead to scholarships and other opportunities. In addition, Lino said, "with music you have to listen to each other; it’s very hard to work together. It helps them focus and pay attention in school."
Laura Reed, a violinist and teacher, said at St. Elizabeth’s a lot of time has been spent learning about violin versatility. Part of that instruction involves showing the young students that the violin can be used to play diverse music styles, she said.
"We try to make it a really comfortable learning experience," Reed said. "They’ve come to where they want to play solos for each other."
