Leaving Barquisimeto

July 12

My plan was to fly from Barquisimeto to Merida but that didn't work because all the airlines had cancelled their service to Merida.  Juan offered to drive me but it would have been too costly so we went to the bus depot (a slightly scary, very busy place) and bought a ticket for a bus trip.  So very early Saturday I had breakfast at the Segoviana and Juan drove me to the station.  We fought through all the taxi drivers and found my bus.  This was to be an all day bus adventure into the Andes!  I bought a juice and a bag of dried plantains for the trip.

 

Waiting to leave Barquisimeto depot.

While we waited we were visited by many vendors hawking everything from snacks to knit goods from Merida and Crest toothpaste and brushes (a promotion from the company!).  You could buy reading material or jewelry!  Each vendor would walk through the bus, give each passenger their item, give a "spiel" about why we had to have one then collect either payment or the item back.  Really hands-on!  They were very polite and creative in their presentations!

Took a long time to leave, not really on time but off we went through Barquisimeto and up.

What I Learned in Barquisimeto

July 11

After Caracas it was interesting to be in a smaller, yet still large, city.  I found tremendous excitement about music of any kind.  Dancing and music is basic in the culture.  Everyone is proud of Gustavo Dudamel.  

The resources I saw at the Emilio Sojo nucleo were impressive although sometimes less than basic.   Although instruments aren't very high quality and the rooms not the best for rehearsals; noisy, crowded, cluttered with lots of broken down equipment, the enthusiasm for playing and being a part of El Sistema overwhelms all the difficulties.  The teachers are inspired, dedicated veterans of the program who talked to their students about the power of music and what an important thing they were involved in.  The problems in the country are there but the power of music and the dedication of the staff make them seem minor.  

Between rehearsals:  Kids are kids! (and there is an ever-present security guard!)

Barquisimeto Videos

July 11
MI AMIGO playing the Cuatro (a four string folk instrument important in Venezuela):



The Barquisimeto intermediate orchestra:

Fesnojiv in Barquisimeto

July 11, 2008

Barquisimeto is the hometown of conducting sensation Gustavo Dudamel, a product of El Sistema. But I didn't go there to find his ancestral home or see where he went to school, I visited Barquisimeto because I was told it was a beautiful place and to see the program in action.

In the afternoon I had Juan take me to the Conservatorio Emilio Sojo, one of the Fesnojiv centers in Barquisimeto.

He dropped me off and I went inside. I found one of the directors, introduced myself and waited for the afternoon rehearsals to begin.

While I waited I saw:

Pictures of instruments

A Cellist practicing

and then in rushed the students

I was show where the youngest students, first year players were assembling. I dove in and helped tune, learning the words for "Are you in tune? and Are you Ready?" There weren't any staff around until a young HS age girl came in. She was one of their teachers but just waited around while I tuned. The whole time I was there, after they got playing, more students would come in, I'd find them a chair and get them tuned. They warmed up with some "Twinkle" and some other Book 1 Suzuki stuff. I found out they were going to take a bus somewhere for a small concert. They were very excited and, as you can see, all dressed in black and white.

Here are two pictures I took of them on their way out to their concert. The man leaving with them is one of the instructors.

I went outside where the kids were boarding busses, just like me taking the Pierce Middle School Orchestra to ISSMA Festival! One of the teachers handed me off to another who was staying for the rehearsal with the older, Junior high age group. We went to another building, kind of a temporary classroom space where the kids were just beginning to show up.
Here are some pictures of the group and their instructor Senora Cisneros. She was very nice, introducing me to the group and letting me teach them "Mary Had A Little Lamb" by rote.
Notice the small bass player - he played standing on a box. The student on the podium with the conductor was one of the older students and had just warmed-up the group.

Tour of Barquisimeto

Friday, July 11
I made arrangements with Juan, who works for the Segoviana hotel, to take me on a car tour of Barquisimeto. This is the hometown of Gustavo Dudamel and is the 4th largest city in Venezuela with about a million inhabitants. It's the capital of the state of Lara and is sometimes called the "Musical Capital of Venezuela".
We first headed to the airport to see if there was a flight to Merida. (There wasn't!)

Pictures of my Barquisimeto tour.

The Obelisk (Famous Landmark)


New (1969) Cathedral and its carillon

Government Building

Plaza Bolivar

Plaza Bolivar

Here we are driving through Barquisimeto. Just a clip of normal Venezuelan city views.
Enjoy the ever-present music!

More Pictures!

Here's the Plaza Bolivar in Barquisimeto with it's great Bolivar statue on horseback.
(and me, not on horseback!)




Another church plaza with a Bolivar statue.
That's my driver, Juan, inside the church.

The guitar player was in a tourist center off of the Simon Bolivar Plaza

More to come!

Hi and thanks to all who have checked out the trip!

There's plenty more to post but between going to NYC and having a basement water disaster - I haven't had time.

Please remember to post a comment and look back in a few days.

Bradford