“Dudamel even whips up grade-schoolers

“…At 10:30 a.m., Gustavo Dudamel showed up at the downtown recreation center to spend an hour rehearsing the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. YOLA was formed a year ago by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in partnership with the Harmony Project and the Department of Recreation and Parks, on the model of El Sistema, the music education program in Venezuela that puts instruments in the hands of disadvantaged children. The kids in YOLA range in age from 6 to 9. They live within a 5-mile radius of the Expo Center. They are given instruments, instruction and an orchestra rehearsal space. In return, they sign a contract agreeing to show up and practice. Most of the kids are Latino or African American.

As is well known, Dudamel, who will become music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in October, is a product of the government-funded Venezuelan system. When you have 250,000 children in youth orchestras around the country, you might find a genius”. Fuente original