Evaluating the Effects of El Sistema-Inspired Music Programs in the United States
Longy School of Music of Bard College and WolfBrown formed a strategic partnership to carry out a pilot exploration followed by a two-year study of the impact of El Sistema-inspired programs for the children they serve. The research team invited proposals from programs across the country and formed a consortium of sites representing a diverse geographical and program range. In the planning year (2014-15), researchers collaboratively designed and piloted a core set of common measures. In 2015-16, they gathered the first set of year-long data using these measures. In 2016-17, the team collected a second year of data using the common measures and analyzed the full two-year set.
This report focuses on the musical and socioemotional impact of being a young musician in an El Sistema-inspired ensemble.
This research was made possible by funding from The Buck Family Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
