“EI Sistema”在英语中指的是“The System”,可译为“音乐救助体系”,它是委内瑞拉以José Antonio Abreu
为首的一群音乐家推行的一项教育实践活动。30多年来,这个“音乐救助体系”帮助了委内瑞拉20多万贫民窟的孩子,让他们得以学习乐器,组成乐队,进而爱上音乐,用音乐充实并改变他们的人生。当今炙手可热的青年指挥才俊古斯塔沃·杜达梅尔和广受瞩目的委内瑞拉西蒙·玻利瓦尔青年管弦乐团就诞生于这个体系,他们已成为委内瑞拉向世界展示的一面旗帜,是该国的骄傲。
创办于1984年的TED(Technology、Entertainment、Design的缩写)大会,其宗旨为“用思想的力量来改变世界”。每年来自全球不同学科的顶尖学者与实践者们会云集该大会发表演讲。2005年开始设立的TED大奖是该大会最激动人心的一部分,每一年有三个获奖名额。获奖者除了得到10万美金的奖励以外,还有机会在大会上公开阐述其TED愿望,而TED的组织者将竭尽全力帮助他们实现愿望。
本文是2009年TED大奖的获得者之一,曾任委内瑞拉文化部长、国会议员,既是经济学家也是业余音乐家的José Antonio Abreu发表的演讲节选,语言流畅,感情真挚,值得一读。
Since I was a boy, in my early childhood, I always wanted to be a musician, and, thank God, I 1)made it. From my teachers, my family and my community, I had all the necessary support to become a musician. All my life I’ve dreamed for all 2)Venezuelan children to have the same opportunity that I had. From that desire and from my heart stemmed the idea to make music a deep and global reality for my country.
自孩提时起,我便渴望成为一名音乐家。感谢上帝,我做到了。在这个过程中,我得到了来自我的老师、家人和社区的一切必要的支持。我一直希望,所有委内瑞拉的孩子们可以拥有和我一样的机会。就是源自这一愿望,我有个想法——要让音乐在我的祖国全面深入地推广开来。
From the very first rehearsal, I saw the bright future ahead because the rehearsal meant a great challenge to me. I had received a donation of 503)music stands to be used by 100 children in that rehearsal. When I arrived at the rehearsal, only 11 kids had shown up, and I said to myself, “Do I close the program or multiply these kids?” I decided to face the challenge, and on that same night, I promised those 11 children I’d turn our orchestra into one of the leading orchestras in the world.
早在乐团的第一次排练时,我就感觉前景一片光明,因为那次排练对我而言是一次巨大的挑战,我收到了50个乐谱架的捐赠,可以供100个孩子使用。但当我去排练时,只有11个孩子到场。我问自己:“我要结束这一切吗,还是要设法让孩子的人数增加?”我决定迎接挑战。就在那个晚上,我对那11个孩子许下承诺,我会把我们的管弦乐团变成世界顶级管弦乐团之一。
During the recent tour by the 4)Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela of the U.S. and Europe, we saw how our music moved young audiences to the bottom of their souls, how children and adolescents rushed up to the stage to receive the5)jackets from our musicians, how the 6)standing ovations, sometimes 30 minutes long, seemed to last forever, and how the public, after the concert was over, went out into the street to greet our young people in triumph. This meant not only an artistic triumph, but also a profound emotional 7)sympathy between the public of the most advanced nations of the world and the musical youth of Latin America, as seen in Venezuela, giving these audiences a message of music, vitality, energy, enthusiasm and strength.
从委内瑞拉西蒙·玻利瓦尔青年管弦乐团近期在美国和欧洲进行的巡回演出中,可以看到我们的音乐深深感染了那些年轻听众,触动其灵魂深处。那些孩子和少年冲上舞台,接受我们的音乐家们送出的纪念外套;观众站立鼓掌致敬,有时甚至长达30分钟之久,好像永远都不会停止一样;音乐会结束后,人们在街道两旁向我们乐团这些一身胜利姿态的年轻人致意。这一切不仅仅意味着艺术上的成功,更意味着来自世界最发达国家的民众和拉丁美洲如委内瑞拉的年轻音乐人之间产生的深远的情感共鸣,表演给听众带来了音乐、活力、能量、激情和力量。
In its essence, the orchestra and the 8)choir are much more complex than artistic structures. They are examples and schools of social life, because to sing and to play together means to intimately coexist toward perfection and excellence, following a strict discipline of organization and coordination in order to seek the harmonic interdependence of voices and instruments. That’s how they build a spirit of solidarity and 9)fraternity among them, develop their self-esteem and foster the ethical and 10)aesthetical values related to the music in all its senses. This is why music is immensely important in the awakening of sensibility, in the 11)forging of values and in the training of youngsters to teach other kids.
管弦乐团和合唱团不单纯是艺术表演架构那么简单,其实质复杂多了。它们是社会生活的缩影和学校,因为成员们在一起演唱和演奏乐器,就意味着要一起亲密共处追求完美卓越,要遵循严格的组织纪律且需协调一致,才能使歌声乐声和谐相依。正是通过这样的方式,乐团成员之间建立起了一种团结精神和手足情谊,建立起自尊,培养了与音乐各层面意义紧密相联的道德价值观和审美观。这也是为什么在刺激人的感受力、塑造人的价值观以及培训年轻人教导其他小孩这些方面,音乐显得无比重要。 
Each child in El Sistema has his own story, and they are all important and of great significance to me. We have a well-known case—Gustavo Dudamel. He started as a boy member of the children’s orchestra in his hometown 12)Barquisimeto. There, he grew as a violinist and as a conductor. He became the conductor of Venezuela’s junior orchestras, and today conducts the world’s greatest orchestras. And he’s an unbeatable example for young musicians in Latin America and the world.
“音乐救助体系”里的每一个孩子都有自己的故事,对我来说,他们每个人都很重要,都意义重大。我们有一个众所周知的例子——古斯塔 沃·杜达梅尔。一开始他在家乡巴基西梅托儿童管弦乐团里是名小成员。在那里,他逐渐成长为一名小提琴手并担任指挥。接着,他成了委内瑞拉少年管弦乐团的指挥。而现今,他在世界上最出色的管弦乐团当指挥。对于拉美和全世界的年轻音乐家来说,他是一个无可匹敌的榜样。
The effect of El Sistema is felt in three fundamental 13)circles—in the personal/social circle, in the family circle and in the community. In the personal/social circle, the children in the orchestras and choirs develop their intellectual and emotional side. The music becomes a source for developing the 14)dimensions of the human being, thus 15)elevating the spirit and leading man to a full development of his personality. So, the emotional and intellectual profits are huge—the acquisition of leadership, teaching and training principles, the sense of16)commitment, responsibility, generosity and dedication to others, and the individual contribution to achieve great collective goals. All this leads to the development of self-esteem and confidence.
“音乐救助体系”的影响表现在三个基本方面——个人/社会、家庭以及社区。对于个人/社会来说,孩子们在管弦乐团或合唱团里既发展智力,又陶冶情操。音乐成为个人多元发展的一种源泉,还振奋了他们的精神,并引导他们全面发展自己的个性。因而,无论是在情感上,还是在智力开发上,孩子们都受益匪浅——他们学会领导,教导和培训的原则,被培养出奉献精神、责任感、大方度量和乐于助人的习惯,懂得为实现集体的伟大目标而作出个人贡献。所有这一切让他们建立起自尊和自信。
In fact, the most miserable and tragic thing about poverty is not the lack of bread or roof, but the feeling of being no one, the feeling of not being anyone, the lack of identification, the lack of public esteem. That’s why the child’s development in the orchestra and the choir provides him with a noble identity and makes him a role model for his family and community. Within the family, the parents’ support is unconditional. The child becomes a role model for both his parents, and this is very important for a poor child. Once the child discovers he is important for his family, he begins to seek new ways of improving himself and hopes for a better life for himself and his community. Also, he hopes for social and economic improvements for his own family. All this makes up a constructive and ascending social dynamic. The large majority of our children belong to the most vulnerable 17)strata of the Venezuelan population. That encourages them to embrace new dreams, new goals, and progress in the various opportunities that music has to offer.
其实,关于贫穷,最痛苦悲惨的不是没有东西吃或者没有地方住,而是一种感受——觉得自己什么都不是,也成不了任何人,缺乏认同且得不到公众的尊重。而在管弦乐团或合唱团里接受训练则可以让孩子得到高度认同感,让他们成为其家庭以及社区的榜样。在家里,父母的支持是无条件的。孩子成为父母的榜样,这点对于一个贫困的孩子尤为重要。孩子一旦发现,自己对家人而言是那么重要,他就会开始寻找新的方式来提高自己,并希望自己和所在社区都变得更好。同时,他也会希望自己家庭的社会生活和经济状况都得到改善。所有这一切构成了一种富有建设性的、上升的社会动力。我们团里绝大多数孩子来自于委内瑞拉最弱势的社会阶层。音乐鼓励他们拥有新梦想,新目标,并为他们提供各种各样的机会来提升自己。
Finally, in the circle of the community, the orchestras prove to be the creative spaces of culture and sources of exchange and new meanings. The 18)spontaneity music has excludes it as a luxury item and makes it a 19)patrimony of society. It’s what makes a child play a violin at home, while his father works in his 20)carpentry. It’s what makes a little girl play the 21)clarinet at home, while her mother does the housework. The idea is that the families join with pride and joy in the activities of the orchestras and the choirs their children belong to. The huge spiritual world that music produces in itself, which also lies within itself, ends up overcoming material poverty. From the minute a child’s taught how to play an instrument, he’s no longer poor. He becomes a child in progress heading for a professional level, who’ll later become a 22)full citizen. Needless to say that music is the number one prevention against prostitution, violence, bad habits, and everything degrading in the life of a child.
最后一点是,在社区范围内,管弦乐团已成为文化的创新空间,信息交换以及新目标产生的源泉。音乐具有自发性,这特性使其难以成为奢侈品,而是成为一种社会财产。这让孩子可以在家演奏小提琴,而父亲在做木工活;让小女孩可以在家吹奏竖笛,而母亲在做家务。我们的想法是,一家人会满怀自豪和喜悦地参与孩子所在的管弦乐团或合唱团的各种活动。音乐创造出巨大的精神世界,且两者互相依存,藉此足以战胜物质上的贫乏。孩子从学习演奏一种乐器的那一刻开始便不再贫穷。他成为朝着专业水准向前迈进的孩子,以后他会成为一名合格的公民。勿容置疑,在孩子的一生中,音乐为他们建立了第一道防线,阻止他们自我糟蹋、暴虐、养成坏习惯以及走向一切让其堕落沉沦的事物。