Beirut Chants El Sistema “On Wheels” is a project to take the El-Sistema orchestra on the road to villages and cities throughout Lebanon.  The traveling orchestra will bring the El-Sistema spirit, method and principles and spread it to the youth in outlying marginalized communities by performing concerts in village squares, refugee camps and other places.  These events will center on group practices with local talent and conclude with a concert for the community being visited.  This project will bring the music and the El-Sistema message to the people instead of bringing people to the music, jointly funded with the generous support of the US Embassy in Beirut and Beirut Chants.

The impact of the first year on music education and cultural development in Lebanon has been remarkable and it is our aim to continue this effort starting in October 2023, throughout one year, with our youth by adding visits of the whole orchestra to villages, cities, and refugee camps to bring the El-Sistema experience to those communities.  The youth and teachers will be taken in busses with their instruments to perform for a full day in the locations, all prepared in advance in coordination with Heads of Municipalities, local schools and NGOs to maximize the participation of the local youth with the Beirut Chants El-Sistema orchestra.  Music stands, instruments, the electric piano and other necessary items will be taken as well.

The trips will be organized by the El-Sistema staff and coordinated with the Municipalities and international NGOs (UNRWA, Red Cross and UNESCO each in their areas of operation) for up to a full day of activities in the chosen areas.  The activities will center around introducing the El-Sistema method to each location by inviting local talent, be it musicians or singers, as well as the community at large to participate in the sessions.  The one-to-two-hour rehearsals will be followed by informative sessions by invited NGOs to talk about Sustainability, Youth Rights, Health & Hygiene, Citizen Rights, Woman Rights and other socially important issues.  The Municipalities and local residents will be encouraged to interact with the Beirut Chants El-Sistema youth and teachers to showcase their areas by providing tours of the villages and any other local attractions and the visit will conclude with a village concert to be attended by the whole community.  The schedule of locations will be made available in advance to enable local residents to participate in future events thus expanding the number of participants and to bring communities together.  When bus tours need to be postponed due to inclement weather, political instability or other factors the practices will be held at La Sagesse University to make sure the students continue their music education.

Spreading Citizenship, togetherness and unity of purpose through music education are the unifying ideals of this project to integrate all segments of society for the benefit of a common good and to create a better future.  After all, the motto of El-Sistema is: “Music for cultural change”.