Changing Lives: Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the Transformative Power of Music [Hardcover]

Tricia Tunstall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2012

The story of conductor extraordinaire Gustavo Dudamel, and the music education program, El Sistema, that led him to success.

When Gustavo Dudamel, at the age of twenty-eight, ascended the podium at the Hollywood Bowl for his inaugural concert as conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he immediately captivated the hearts of his audience, just as he had the minds of music critics who designated him a modern-day Leonard Bernstein.

In Changing Lives, the maestro's story becomes the entry point to an equally captivating subject: El Sistema, the music education program that nurtured his musical talent, first as a young violinist and then as a budding conductor under the mentorship of its founder, José Antonio Abreu. What began in Venezuela has now reached children in Los Angeles, New York City, Baltimore, and cities around the world. No matter the location, the overarching goal of El Sistema is unwavering: to rescue children from the depredations of poverty through music. Part history, part reportage, this book reveals that arts education can indeed effect positive social change. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Tunstall soundly probes how it is that classical music has played such a powerful role in the protection, education, and elevation of so many children born into poverty. The author does a noble job tracing the history of El Sistema, while managing to keep the narrative as much in the immediate present as possible.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Starred Review. This passionate and inspiring story should be read by all those interested in music education, community building, and advocacy for the disadvantaged. An essential purchase.” (Library Journal )

“A compelling, readable book that is part history and part social activism, [Tunstall] uses Dudamel's youthful exuberance and enthusiasm for music and these programs as an example of the way that music education can be a tool for social transformation.” (Publisher's Weekly )

About the Author

Tricia Tunstall is both a writer and a music educator. The author of Changing Lives and Note by Note: A Celebration of the Piano Lesson, she has written for the Kenyon Review and the New York Times. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (January 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393078965
• ISBN-13: 978-0393078961
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Venezuela
  • #3 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Conducting

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly Changing Lives March 25, 2013

By Wilson Golden

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

My family has a musical background (my nearly 38 year old son is a music professional) and I am very interested in the life-altering social value of the Venezualean program, as evidenced by its spread to many other nations, including a significant US footprint in places like LA and Boston. The highly laudable sistema program and its founder and progeny who have expanded the program at such an astouding rate are true visionaries. May its growth continue to be be exponential.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! January 10, 2012

By Eric Miller

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The news of El Sistema has drifted into the U.S. as a kind of dessert buffet--one amazingly sweet report after another. It has sounded too good to be true, and I hear many people respond that it is hyped or must be some new "flavor of the month." Changing Lives offers a full meal of El Sistema, so we can dine healthily on its history, its precepts and processes, its mysteries--it is full of factual protein, and a healthy serving of exotic fruits and substantive veggies. (Enough with the metaphor.) This book is a required reading for those who have some kind of interest in or opinion about El Sistema, so you can actually know what you are talking about. And you never had such a pleasurable required reading assignment--Tunstall writes beautifully, turning every part of the 35 year history into engaging stories full of vivid detail. The marvel of El Sistema seems even more marvelous after reading this beautiful book. And special thanks to the author for including the emergence of El Sistema in the U.S. in this history, giving us hope that the miracle from South America that redirected the lives of hundreds of thousands of at-risk kids can redirect the lives of kids in North America in the same way, and in the same expanding numbers. And this hope is already being realized. This was the most inspiring book I read in 2011. Like me, and thousands of others, you will believe that Jose Antonio Abreu deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, and that Dudamel is every bit as splendid as you thought.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buying More Copies for My Board January 8, 2012

By Jeane Goforth

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an excellent overview of El Sistema in Venezuela--at least based on what I've gleaned from articles read elsewhere. I especially appreciated the chapters on the founding and early history of the program. I am always looking for more details on operations and curriculum to consider for our Scrollworks program in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms. Tunstall has given us much to work with. The book is also very inspiring, which is why I intend to get copies for our board and some of our donors. I hope there is a follow-up in the future on the US programs she visited.
If you are starting an El Sistema program without benefit of an Abreu Fellow on staff or without the resources for an extended visit to Venezuela, this book will give you some ideas and some comfort. It's not easy. It only looks easy because Venezuela is 30+ years into it.