When we first began this remarkable journey with the children of Laverton, we thought it important that the first stages of the program should be preserved for all to see - also as a record of their remarkable achievement in their first year.We hope you will enjoy watching this short but fascinating video on the Crashendo! Laverton Music Program, run by Sistema Australia. Please feel free to send

El Sistema is a phenomenal program of music education, which targets children from disadvantaged communities – particularly those in socio-economically depressed communities – and takes them through an intensive program of learning to play a musical instrument and sing, all in the context of orchestras and choirs. The process transforms them, both intrinsically (beautiful joyous music does this),

Crashendo! is Launched at Laverton!Unique in Australia - Crashendo! enables children in disadvantaged communities to partake in a rich and powerful music program, specifically in instrument- and choir-based music in the context of an orchestra and ensemble.Based on the world-renowned “El Sistema” music program in Venezuela, in Crashendo! the music process is simple yet powerful. We build orchestras

Venezuela’s music system, El Sistema, has challenged the music education world with its extraordinary program – teaching instrument-based music to children from its slums: the Barrios. Developed as a social-action program for children and youth, it not only produces joy and harmony in the Barrios children, but develops remarkable fine musicians in the process. Programs have spread to over

The Venezuelan Embassy had arranged for Kenneth to visit the school in Melbourne, and flew him, his uncle, who lives in Australia and the Cultural Attache from the Venezuelan Embassy down to Melbourne.Jeff Bell, the wonderful Principal of Laverton College, had organised, in response to this visit, to move the full school assembly from Friday to Wednesday to allow for Kenneth to play for the school

Abreu introduced Venezuelan children of all ages and circumstance to wonderful orchestral and choral music programmes: “El Sistema” – “The System” was born. It is music for all children regardless of ability or inability. Venezuela is now a society in transformation – social action through music. As a wonderful bi-product it has also become the most exciting place

Sistema Australia is working with Laverton P-12 College in the Hobsons Bay district of Melbourne, in partnership with the Victoria Police Community Liaison, Hobsons Bay Council, and the Hobsons Bay Cultural Development Program to deliver a three-day a week, 2-hour per day, after-school pilot music program to 50-100 lower primary school children, which will be integrated over time into the entire school,

El Sistema is a 'system' of using music as a means for social change which has rocked the country of Venezuela. Through providing every child with access to free music tuition, El Sistema has breathed new life into children from chronically poor neighbourhoods and underprivileged backgrounds, providing them with hope, self-awareness, self-reliance and empowerment through the rich education that classical

And it's never at the expense of kids from affluent homes, is it? Instead of investing in our most vulnerable kids to make them the leaders we need to improve our community, we ignore them, we push them away and then when they get in trouble, we lock them up. It doesn't make sense, and fundamentally, it's not cost-effective. I'm a fiscal conservative and it's a waste of money and it's a waste of talent