El Sistema USA, also known as National Alliance of El Sistema-Inspired Programs, is a national network of music education programs inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema model. It originated in 2009 as an initiative at the New England Conservatory and was incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization based in Durham, North Carolina, in 2014.
In 2025, its network included over 140 member programs serving more than 30,000 young people across the United States and Canada. El Sistema USA supports its members through professional development, providing assistance for emerging programs by training, mentoring, financial support, and administrative guidance. Its activities are aimed at using ensemble-based music education to promote social development, including among youth from underserved communities.
The philosophy and aspirations of El Sistema USA are expressed on their website as:
"We envision a world in which every child — regardless of income, geography, or identity — has access to a high-quality music education program that builds community, opportunity, and personal growth. Our model emphasizes programs with free or low-cost tuition, frequent instruction (5-10+ hours per week), and ensemble-based learning."
History Following the founder of El Sistema, José Abreu's 2009 TED Prize, TED funded the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory. In this five-year program, 50 young musicians received instruction in conducting and directing youth orchestras across the United States. Special importance was given to leadership and community development, and the program included a month‐long residency to become familiar with El Sistema in Venezuela. The program ran from 2009 to 2014, with graduates later taking up artistic and management positions at music education programs, including the Corona Youth Music Project in Queens, New York, New West Symphony Harmony Project in Ventura, California, and Music for Youth in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, himself a graduate of Venezuela's original El Sistema and later principal conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, played a key role in adapting the El Sistema model to the United States. His advocacy and personal story helped inspire the creation of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) in 2007, a free after-school orchestra program targeting underserved communities in Los Angeles and regarded as one of the first U.S.-based implementations of the El Sistema philosophy. Since 2009, the year Dudamel began his tenure with the LA Philharmonic, the project has been considered as an exemple for musical education in the U.S.
According to the official website of El Sistema USA® (ESUSA), the network began as a program at New England Conservatory in 2009. The organisation was formally incorporated as a nonprofit in 2014.
Activities In 2025, El Sistema USA reported that its network included over 140 member programs, involving approximately 6,000 teaching artists and 25,000 students. The organization supports these programs through professional development, research and data initiatives, student-leadership opportunities, and field advocacy. Its work is guided by a commitment to equitable access to music education, promoting a model that typically offers free or low-cost participation, frequent weekly instruction, and ensemble-based learning. They participate by networking and sharing experiences for teacher training, curricula for music students, collecting data and advocacy.
ESUSA has been helping new programs by offering financial assistance, shared training, mentoring, and administrative guidance. It also aims to strengthen long-term viability by fostering donor development and creative fundraising efforts, all with the goal of using music education and ensemble playing to build key life skills among young people independent of their social background. As part of its networking activities, ESUSA has reported on their National Symposiums, a Youth Ambassadors Program as well as regional meetings, sponsored by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 2024, ESUSA introduced A Musician's Guide to Reaching for the Stars, a free online curriculum created in partnership with classically trained violinist and astronaut Sarah Gillis and the Polaris Program. The resource was designed for teachers, students, and families, using music as an entry point for exploring STEM concepts while emphasizing creativity, curiosity, and social-emotional learning. According to ESUSA, the guide forms part of a broader educational outreach effort associated with the Polaris Dawn mission and aims to inspire young learners by providing connections between artistic practice and scientific discovery.
During the Polaris Dawn space mission Sarah Gillis performed a concert in the Crew Dragon capsule alongside El Sistema music students from countries including Brazil, Haiti, Sweden, Uganda, USA, and Venezuela. She played the solo violin part of Rey's Theme by John Williams from the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and ESUSA. The video of the performance was the first of its kind to be transmitted from space using Starlink's high-speed internet connection.
Starting in the 2026–27 academic year, ESUSA and the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) have announced a partnership to create the El Sistema USA® Scholarship at MSM. This will offer eligible students from ESUSA member programs in the United States and Canada a Bachelor-level scholarship covering up to full tuition.
Sistema Canada is a national organization that brings together ESI music education programs across Canada. With 20 member programs across the country in 2025, Sistema Canada is administered in partnership with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, a registered Canadian charity. The members of Sistema Canada are also members of El Sistema USA.
Sistema Global According to their websites, Sistema Global and El Sistema USA are distinct but complementary parts of the international ESI system: Sistema Global serves as a global connector and resource hub, aiming to unite El Sistema programs and practitioners across countries. El Sistema USA operates as a regional network that supports, standardizes, and advocates for El Sistema-style music education in North America.
Selected ESI-programs in the U.S. and Canada Names, basic information and links for over 140 member programs are listed in ESUSA's member directory. Some of their members include the following local programs in alphabetical order:
USA In Atlanta, Georgia, the Atlanta Music Project (AMP) has been sponsored by major companies and foundations of the city. It is managed by two Sistema Fellows, graduates of the 2010 and 2012 Fellowship program at the New England Conservatory of Music. The project offers both an orchestral and a choral music program. In 2024, its Senior Youth Choir won the O4 Youth Choirs category at the World Choir Games in the Open Competition in Auckland, New Zealand, earning a Golden Diploma Level VI and one of the highest overall scores in the event's open division. In 2025, AMP announced Grammy-winning soprano Karen Slack as the Artist-in-Residence for its Summer Series, where she was scheduled to lead masterclasses, perform as a featured soloist, and engage with AMP students and ensembles.
In Baltimore, OrchKids is a free after-school and in-school music program initiated by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) under their then–music director Marin Alsop. What began around 2008 with some 30 students in a single school had, by 2018, expanded to serve over 2,000 young people (Pre-K through 12th grade). Its activities take places across multiple sites in Baltimore, plus a summer program at Goucher College.
OrchKids was honored on 22 November 2013, with a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented by Michelle Obama at the White House, in recognition of its success providing year-round, community-based music education to underserved youth in Baltimore. In May 2025, the BSO announced it had received a US$ 5 million gift from the Sherman Family Foundation, intended to expand its family and education programs — with a substantial portion earmarked for OrchKids.
In Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston String Academy was founded in 2012 by violinist twin sisters Mariesther Alvarez and Marielisa Alvarez, who were themselves trained in El Sistema in Venezuela before studying at Boston Conservatory. It offers three programs in Boston's Chinatown and Allston neighborhoods, initially serving some 120 students. After years of sustained training and commitment, the BSA's youth ensemble gave a concert at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York City. The Boston Globe described this as a success giving students from underserved Boston communities access to high-level classical-music opportunities. Boston String Academy's youth musicians performed at Carnegie Hall in late 2024 in celebration of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, presenting a tribute to the UN's mission alongside Boston Conservatory's Venus Quartet.
In the Bronx, New York, UpBeat NYC was established in 2009. Active in South Bronx, the program offers year-round instruction in strings, winds, ensemble rehearsals, and Afro-Latin jazz. Progressing from early childhood music activities, including a "paper orchestra" to advanced youth orchestra and band experiences, the program aimed at fostering musical skills, confidence, and community building. UpBeat operates in Mott Haven and serves students from early childhood through young adulthood through free lessons, group classes, performance opportunities, and mentorship.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Longy School of Music of Bard College and the LA Philharmonic formed the program Take a Stand in 2011 to promote and support the ESI music education movement, including a new Master of Arts in Teaching program. Take a Stand has aimed to train classically-trained musicians as socially conscious music educators, combining high-level musical instruction with a mission to support underserved communities.
Their project Side by Side has featured a two-week summer session in Cambridge, offering advanced training for young musicians from local ESI groups and concluding with performances in Harvard Square and at Pickman Hall. As the initiatives diversified, including adapting musical styles and community contexts, they underscored that "no one size fits all": ESI music education in the U.S. often looks quite different from its Venezuelan origin, and outcomes depend heavily on local conditions, resources, and organizational commitment.
In Chicago, Illinois, the Chicago Metamorphosis Orchestra Project (ChiMOP) was founded in May 2013. Its first program, the ChiMOP Summer Youth Orchestra, was a youth orchestra designed to bridge the gap between academic year programs. ChiMOP's second program, Mary Lyon Music, is an ESI program at Mary Lyon Elementary School in Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood and was launched in September 2013. According to ChiMOP, its flagship initiative, the Mary Lyon Youth Orchestra, has served hundreds of students with instrument training, ensemble work, and community performances, and the organization also runs a Summer Youth Orchestra that tours and performs across the region.
Also in Chicago, Illinois, The People's Music School (TPMS) offers intensive music instruction and ensemble performance to children and teenagers across the Chicago area. Founded in 1976 , TPMS describes itself as "the largest completely tuition-free music school serving Chicago metropolitan children," committed to removing financial, geographic, and social barriers to high-quality music education. In its 2024–2025 report, TPMS notes it served over 800 students, providing access to instruction across 21 different instruments, supported by around 70 teaching artists.