‘The fact that music can express the invisible, the ineffable, makes it a particularly rich form of creativity. This mysterious and unique capacity to express what other art forms cannot gives it both endless potential and an intense sensitivity.’ This sentiment, spoken by the founder of El Sistema José Antonio Abreu, opens this uplifting documentary, the story of the unlikely success that was Dr Abreu’s vision three decades previously; a vision of joy, peace, hope and integration. Caracas, birth-place of Latin America’s hero Simon Bolivar, is a dangerous place to live, as are many parts of Venezuela. One of the first things El Sistema does is to give kids, most of them from poor families and some as young as two, somewhere to go when they are not at school. This means they are away from the threat of violence and street-crime for four hours a day, six days a week; El Sistema is a full-time commitment. The Paper Orchestra is the start for many - an idea that came about simply because proper instruments cost a lot of money. Basic instruments made from paper are used initially to give the kids the feel of what being in an orchestra is like. They sit in their orchestral position and learn basics of rhythm and melody (through singing - the instruments don’t work). Then, after a few months, they join a ‘real’ orchestra and so the progression starts up the system. Obviously not all of the 265,000 children who have been involved so far have made it all the way into the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, but by being involved in such a rich environment all of these young lives reap the benefit in some way, be it self-discipline, a sense of community or freedom of expression. Those that do make it to the top are encouraged to help out and teach those on the way up. Thus a continuous cycle of development and achievement is in place. The story includes plenty of footage of the exuberant Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra in action under El Sistema’s most famous son Gustavo Dudamel. There is, above all, an overwhelming sense of optimism and hope that comes from music-making on this scale - a feel- good film made all the better by the fact that this is really working.

Reviewed by Dawn Cooke