NAMM Foundation Hosts the Abreu Fellows and Music Educators at 'Music Education Days' During 2011 NAMM Show

The NAMM Foundation announced today that the Abreu Fellows from the New England Conservatory of Music’s El Sistema USA program will be the featured keynote panel presentation on Sunday Jan. 16, 2011, for its Music Education Days program during the world-famous 2011 NAMM Show. Music educators and school administrators all across America are invited to attend the event in Anaheim, Calif., and the full Music Education Days program held from Jan. 15 to Jan. 16, 2011. 

This dynamic group of musicians has studied music as part of El Sistema USA, which is modeled after a program created more than three decades ago in Venezuela by José Antonio Abreu. The program encompasses a philosophy that music education is the key of life—meeting the needs of children today, where they are, how they live—for the joy of learning music and achieving all they can be in school and in life.

The Abreu Fellows have committed to guide the development of El Sistema programs in the United States and around the world for at least a year upon their completion of the program, and to guide the El Sistema vision to meet the music learning needs and opportunities of underserved and at-risk youth. Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is a beneficiary of Venezuela’s El Sistema program and inspires the program’s development in the U.S. 

“The El Sistema USA movement recognizes that its program brings distinct advantages that could catalyze the provision of resources and visibility for the entire music education ecosystem,” said Eric Booth, senior advisor to El Sistema USA. “These benefits include dedication to developing the social as well as the musical capacity of underserved and at-risk populations, the necessity of significantly engaging family and community in the program, the requirement that all students commit significant hours to the program every week and, finally, connection to the world-celebrated and successful model of El Sistema in Venezuela. It is our hope that the healthy growth of the El Sistema USA movement will serve to encourage increasing commitment to school music programs and greater engagement by the music industries and professionals in support of music learning for the young.”

Music educators and school administrators all across America are invited to attend the event being held at 8:30 a.m. Sunday Jan. 16, 2011, at the Anaheim Hilton’s California Ballroom.

Music educators can register online before Dec. 15, 2010, to attend any or all of the events during Music Education days at: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=5w7ndndab&oeidk=a07e2zv82j4fb2c366e

To secure a hotel room, visit: https://ww1.namm.org/thenammshow/2011/hotels

About the NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.