File:I Am a Fine Musician.webm

I Am a Fine Musician (IAFM) focuses on the implementation of the El Sistema music method in Los Angeles afterschool programs. Developed in Venezuela and now expanding worldwide, El Sistema empowers at-risk and disadvantaged youth and their communities through the pursuit of musical excellence and ensemble performance. IAFM is the first film to focus on the educational theory upon which El Sistema is based. The film was shot on location with the cooperation of the children and teachers of the Verdugo Young Musicians Association (VYMA) outreach program at Longfellow Elementary School in Pasadena, CA. Through discussions with experts from across the US, and scenes with children immersed in the program, IAFM describes and demonstrates the value of El Sistema-inspired music education. Featured in the film: • Samvel Chilingarian, Conductor & Artistic Director, Verdugo Young Musicians Association & Co-Founder, VYMA Music Project at Longfellow • Mark Churchill, Director of El Sistema USA & Senior Advisor, New England Conservatory of Music • Alvaro Cortes, Executive Director, Beyond the Bell Before & After School Programs, Los Angeles Unified School District • Circe Diaz Gamero, VYMA Cello Teaching Artist & Former Student of El Sistema de Venezuela • Paul Heckman, Associate Dean of the Dept. of Education at University of California, Davis • Erica Ingber, Principal, Longfellow Elementary School, Pasadena Unified School District • Ted Masur, Coordinator, Composer-in-Residence, VYMA Music Project • Myka Miller, Executive Director of Harmony Project • Anne Rardin, Music Director, VYMA Music Project & Music Director, Harmony Project • Dick Roberts, Educator & Chairman, Sally and Dick Roberts Coyote Foundation