Duke and KidZNotes: Creating a Sustainable Partnership for the Future of the El Sistema Movement

Research Question: To what extent does KidZNotes enhance the academic, social, and behavioral development of its students?

The mission of KidZNotes is to “transform the lives of underserved children through classical, orchestral music training.” In my community-based research project, I sought to examine to what extent the program is in fact transforming the lives of students and their families. My hypothesis was that KidZNotes positively affected not only the academic performance of its students, but also the social and behavioral development of them, as well.

Few studies have examined the impact of El Sistema programs in the United States. Currently, Venezuela and Scotland are the only countries that have funded extensive evaluations of the El Sistema movement. However, during my SOL project, I had the opportunity to speak with Katherine Campe and Brian Kaufman, the authors of a study conducted at Harvard University and an El Sistema-inspired program in Boston. In their study, self-regulation, motivation, peer-respect and responsibility were the skills and behaviors that were used as markers for El Sistema students’ cognitive, emotional and social development. They also assessed students’ musical aptitude through a music literacy test developed by Larry Scripp at the New England Conservatory.

Through their research, Campe and Kaufman found that the El Sistema curriculum has been perceived as having a positive influence on students’ social and behavioral development. As they note, “Participating in the program provides students with valuable social interactions, enabling them to engage in collaborative learning, as well as propelling their musical knowledge.” One idea we discussed included implementing the same evaluation protocols from the Boston El Sistema program in future program evaluations of KidZNotes. Creating a coalition of El Sistema programs to participate in a standardized method of assessment will be key to garnering more support at the national level.

In only an eight-week time period, it would be difficult to conduct a comprehensive program evaluation. However, it is my hope that conducting my SOL community-based research project will provide a snapshot of the impact KidZNotes has had on students and their families.