El Sistema Gets Bum Rap From UK Academic

Here we go again.  Recently fiddler Mark O Connor trashed the Suzuki music instruction method by claiming its founder was a fraud. Now, as reported in the British paper, The Guardian, an academic in the UK is denigrating the famous El Sistema system of music education in Venezuela, likening it to an authoritarian cult. Some of the charges being made by Geoff Baker involve claims that the "system" founded by Jose Antonio Abreau is not reaching as many of the economically disadvantaged young people it claims it does but draws more children from the middle classes of Venezuelan society than it represents itself as doing. He also says that supporters of the program claim greater success in outcomes for the participants than can be verified. There seems to be some agreement that more accurate research into the exact numbers would be welcome. One of the other accusations against El Sistema is that it is too authoritarian and "a model of tyranny," according to Baker.  He describes Abreau as an "autocratic maestro" who places"discipline above all else." Honestly, I don't know if the way the orchestra is led by Abreau is too harsh and strict for the young people involved.  I also don't know exactly what the right amount of discipline and "authoritarian" control would be  for young people of that age learning as demanding a discipline as playing in a symphony orchestra. Some of the great conductors of the past, such as Arturo Toscanini, Fritz Reiner, and George Szell, were certainly not known for their warm, cuddly charm. But then, others like Claudio Abbado were appreciated for a gentler manner of leading an orchestra.  Again, the question seems to be what is most appropriate for this unusual form of musical education represented by El Sistema? Maybe that does need to be looked at more than it is now. Gustavo Dudamel, the most famous product of El Sistema, vigorously defends it. Simon Rattle calls it "the future of music," but critics call it "a throwback to the past," saying it is "elitist." And there we go. Now, it's all the familiar right and left political haranguing with post-modern cultural criticism thrown in for good measure. All I can say to the folks who are trying to do some good in Venezuela is, good luck.