How the El Sistema Inspired Programs, Miami Music Project and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, Directly Impact the Underserved Youth of Miami and LA

Abstract

This research is in the form of a collective case study focused on the Miami Music Project (MMP) and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA). This study explores the various functions and goals of these El Sistema-inspired programs, and how they directly serve and impact under-represented communities. It also highlights the impact on the youth’s future and what these experiences tangibly and indiscriminately provide for their futures, be it beneficial or detrimental. This will also briefly touch on how MMP and YOLA’s approach to training young musicians subverts the idea of instrumental training typically being perceived as an activity only for those with few social and financial restrictions. Through virtual, individual interviews with various people that were either current alumni of these programs, recent graduates of college age, or adults in the field, their responses were recorded. This allowed for a holistic view of how these programs serve their students, thus resulting in answers that are representative of a larger population. Results showed commonalities between responses that trended towards highly positive results from being students in MMP/YOLA. In conclusion, this study clearly demonstrates that these programs have left positive, tangible impacts on their current and former students.