Reflections on the first term

Term as in trimester? Third of my year?

I thought it would be good for me to sit and think a bit about how I would summarize my research and my experience in Venezuela thus far. It's funny to stop and think about which are the things that stand out the most what specifically I have learned. Also, as time goes on here, I grow more accustomed to being here, make better friends, meet more people, and grow more comfortable, so I would also say that things are more positive the longer I've been here (Sebastian would probably say that I've cried considerably less in the last month than the first month, for example).

So, research part first. There is so much I still don't know, it's quite overwhelming. It feels good, though, that I have a lot of questions to still find the answers to. Thus far, I have mostly focused on being an oboist within El Sistema-most of the people I have connected with are oboists, and I have observed many lessons and sectionals, and have branched out from there. I realized at the David Walter masterclasses a few weeks ago, that I showed up and knew all the oboists. I am really thankful to feel part of that community. We can all be crazy about reeds together. So the questions I have dealt with include: What is the process of choosing the oboe as an instrument? What kind of repertoire is studied? What are lessons like, and how is that different from the US/Chile? How does an oboe student within El Sistema progress on their instrument, and what kind of challenges and demands do they face (and why/how is that different from US style instrument teaching)?

I'll maybe answer about the most interesting questions here. (And save my treatise on reeds for whoever is actually really interested!) So, one of the biggest differences between the styles of music education-conservatory (like the US) and El Sistema is El Sistema's emphasis on group practice. By the time kids start the oboe here, they have usually had a few years of choir and recorder practice and basic music theory. As they begin to learn their instrument of choice (and aptitude), they do so within an ensemble-even before picking up their instruments, the kids get into a routine of sitting with their sectionmates in oboe/woodwind sectionals/full orchestra rehearsals and singing the rhythms and notes of the music. The beginning oboists spend time just playing the reed and learning to hold the instrument, together. They eventually do also have private lessons, but spend many more weekly hours with their peers, struggling through orchestral parts together. Also, orchestral practice starts almost immediately (this is one of the big differences between conservatory/El Sistema education)-the learning of the basics comes in the context of learning orchestral parts.

In the case of the oboe, beginning orchestral rep is super super difficult. Learning to play a scale on the oboe can take months, but the orchestra parts demand it right away. This is something I have dealt with a lot with the kids I teach. This creates a challenge for the kids to learn melodies and make group music, but can also be frustrating and discouraging. (Actually, one of the oboists here wrote his undergrad thesis on how what is taught in year 1 of playing in orchestra is extremely advanced and does not correspond to what is taught in 1 year of playing the oboe.) All of the older oboists I have met, when asked about their initial repertory challenge, look upon it with a nostalgia-this difficulty was one of many they deal with in orchestral playing, and now, in comparison, many things are easier. (The argument against this difficult repertoire is, I think, that it ignores some basic technique in favor of teaching notes, which can create poor habits-something I've also dealt with while teaching).

This is the Teatro Teresa Carreño (she was a famous pianist), where I have spent a lot of my time going to concerts.
Me and Carlos

How would I summarize Venezuela so far? Nice welcoming people? Tropical fruits? Living in Caracas is very challenging, and sometimes I despair in feeling incapable of confronting its quotidian difficulties. (No water, gunshots outside my apartment, etc). I know that there are things here that I will never get used to, and things that will always be difficult. As time goes on, though, I feel better supported by the people I know here, which is a great comfort-I have met a lot of wonderful and interesting people, and look forward to continuing to getting to know them next year. I am also making a concerted effort to find beautiful things and places within and around the city, and like some of those very much (the field where I take yoga, for example, or el Avila, the national park, where I hike on weekends).


This week I was vacationing a bit, as most activities were done for the year, and Thursday I went to Parque Nacional Morrocoy, in the state of Falcon. Morrocoy is a nature reserve of islands, islets and cays with lovely tropical beaches. We took a spectacular motor boat ride to one of the islands, where we spent the day snorkeling (which was a favorite childhood activity of mine. So much fun!), dissecting coconuts, and lying around on the beach.
The beach Me with a cocada in a coconut!

With friends! Left-breakfast of arepas post-party in cabin near San Antonio

Right-dinner post-concert with music friends

It's humbling to think about all the things I have left to do here-learn much more about the history of El Sistema and its methodology, while traveling to different places to observe orchestras and classes. I am very very excited to get to go to Germany so soon, to see Sebastian and my family. It will be my first German Christmas. I'll be back the first days of January to Caracas to organize myself for the months ahead. Many holiday greetings and warm wishes to all!

Travels to Táchira and Mérida

I finally went on a trip! It was really exciting to get out of Caracas, navigate the bus system, and see other things. I left Tuesday November 24th, and awoke the 25th in the morning on the coldest bus ever (I was warned that the buses here are over-air conditioned, but despite my pants, knee high socks, long sleeves, sweater and scarf I still froze! They keep them at less than 60 degrees, which here is quite cold) in the Andes, to see lots of cows outside the bus window. See exhibit a to left. I guess you have all seen cows, and Venezuelan cows are no different than other cows. Anyways...


I arrived to San Cristobal, in the state of Táchira, to be whisked away by taxi to the town of Michelena, where I was to meet up with other music professors and get to teach lessons. The taxista stopped and took me to his favorite road-side empanada place for breakfast-I was very hungry upon arrival.

Michelena is where Marcos Perez Jimenez is from, a Venezuelan president (dictator, depending on who you ask, from 1952-58), there are statues of him, and this cultural center was his former house:


This is Marco, a professor and colleague who teaches with me in San Antonio conducting the woodwinds. I arrived, and was immediately put to work fixing reeds and adjusting oboes. I got to give an oboe lesson to the oboist in the center-these kids had all been playing only a few months, and were doing excellently.

We then went to San Juan de Colon, another small Andean town, where an orchestral nucleo is run in a school. Here there were many more kids, and huge classes of them were practicing recorder; most students of El Sistema play recorder, sing in choir and learn basic music theory before starting an instrument.



The next day I went to a nucleo in a theological seminary in Palmira. The school was all boys, of course, and offered elementary through university studies. With music, the school seeks to offer a more integral education-as we know, kids who have access to music are more successful in other life areas too. Here they offered choir and traditional Venezuelan music-there were ensembles playing quatro and guitar, and different percussion instruments.


I then traveled to the city of Mérida, about a 4 hour bus ride through the Andes from San Cristobal. I spent a really fun weekend with Zach, another Fulbrighter here-he´s in Mérida, researching agricultural reform at the Universidad de los Andes, or the ULA. Mérida is a university town, and is perched among some beautiful hills. Here are a few pictures from a hike we took. Blogspot is being difficult, I'm sorry there aren't more pictures. There are a few more on facebook, and I may add more later...

The view from where we hiked, up outside of Merida


Here is a picture of the central market. There are artisanal wares, typical "fast foods"-arepas, empanadas, and tizana (a fruit coctail with all the local fruits you could think of, and an upstairs restaurant area, where we had breakfast. We also ate ice cream at Heladeria Coromoto, which has gotten into the Guiness Book of World Records for most ice cream flavors. I had avocado and plantain (2 different flavors), which was only mildly adventurous. We also went to dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (there is more than one in Merida, too!), went for drinks with some orchestral musician at a quirky little bar in the middle of a power outage, (electricity rationing is really common in Venezuela, and is starting to happen in Caracas too, see below) and walked around a lot. I realized that all the walking I do in Caracas is between my house and the metro, really. It's probably one of the safest cities in Venezuela, and it was really enjoyable to be able to walk around outside at night, even late. It's also one of the coldest cities (at around 1700meters), but was still sleeveless weather during the day, and a light sweater at night.

I was really glad I left Caracas and got to experience other things, but upon return, I realize that Caracas too is beginning to feel like home, despite all its difficulties and shortcomings. We've had a lot of water rationing lately (for a while I had water 3 times a day for an hour-better get up early to shower!) and electricity shortages, which is frustrating, but I have my collection of 5 liter jugs of water (both for bathing and drinking), and candles and matches in distinct strategic parts of my apartment.

I will spend my next week or so (I go to Germany for Christmas on the 21st!!) finishing up some music related things, hopefully scheduling some interviews, and maybe going to the beach. I hope everyone is doing well with their December activities!