Inspiring Luthiers and Musicians.

[Thomas Hastay]

Proof that you need very little to bring Music and Joy to the world!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6rgkCUstaE

[Jason Rodgers]

Wow. It's like a step down from La Sistema in Venezuela. Amazing. I'm showing this to every one of my classes Monday.

[Steven Wilson]

Very nice

[Jason Rodgers]

Ugh. Upon rereading my post, I realize that my comment sounds very patronizing. What I should have said was: a program with as strong a humanist drive to raise people up from poverty through the power of music, but without the government backing of programs like "La Sistema" in Venezuela. If anything, this story is more inspiring.

[Steve Graves]

People simply us whatever they have to make music. Whether you use trash or the best materials in the world has no bearing upon the hearts of the player and listener. Greater mysteries are at work.

[Michael Lewis]

I sent the link to several friends. It is inspiring to see such achievement under such adversity, and makes me grateful to be living where I do.

[John Mueller]

I showed this to my students in MS string orchestra class and the fist comment was, "Oooo! I want one of those violins."

[Jason Rodgers]

I did a little googling on this organization, and found that they have an "instrument bank" set up in Arizona for donations. They're not as of yet a non-profit, but they're working on it. I'm trying to figure out how to work a $$ donation into an upcoming fundraising event I'm doing with my students.

[Michael Lewis]

How about making some better quality instruments and donating them? It would probably be easier to "find" decent instruments and buy them to donate.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Hi Michael,
There is a bit of a "catch -22 " to donating better quality instruments. On the one hand, they will be more refined and perhaps more playable, on the other they will slightly disparage the efforts of the luthiers who are making instruments from found materials, and diminish the uniqueness of the band. How to walk that fine line......

[Ryan Mazzocco]

WOW! I admit that I have been putting off watching this because I was expecting it to just be some dumb, cheesy "Fat Albert Junyard band" kind of thing. I finally watched it and I was BLOWN AWAY! So Awesome!

[Jason Rodgers]

As described in the film, the garbage instruments genuinely provide an instrument (in the maestro's words) for kids to start their first lessons "with dignity" where no instrument would otherwise exist.

However, there are clearly some secondary benefits and effects from creating and using these recycled instruments:

1) locals in the villages surrounding this landfill (additional googling reveals that these communities are severely impoverished and live in and around a massive landfill that has poisoned their lands and resources) are able to make these improvised instruments for their children, which gives them an opportunity for emotional/spiritual and possibly economic relief;

and 2) that the global community will be horrified by the conditions that these people face and will find ways to support them financially and musically (instruments, instruction, maybe Gustavo Dudamel will make a visit).

They may always use these garbage instruments as their amazing demonstration of ingenuity and perseverance, but I bet they'll have plenty of real instruments soon enough (especially once the full-length documentary comes out).

[David King]

It's interesting that you can't really get around the bow. You still need a well shaped stick and horse hair to get the job done.