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[TRUMPET PLAYING SOMBER MUSIC]

MAN: When I was in school, we worked with Simon Rattle three times.

One of the times that Simon Rattle came to Curtis...

he was conducting us in Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."

But he stopped the rehearsal and he said:

"You guys sound like robots.

And there's a group of kids in Venezuela that would out-play you."

Of course I'm sitting there thinking, you know...

if these kids are so good, then they would be here at Curtis.

And I didn't think anything of it at all.

[APPLAUSE]

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING DRAMATIC MUSIC]

We have the opportunity to have this angel in the world.

Not only in our country, Venezuela, in our world.

ABRUE [IN SPANISH]: From the moment a child picks up an instrument...

she's no longer poor.

She's a child on the rise...

on her way to becoming a fully-formed citizen.

MAN: I knew something special was happening in Venezuela with those kids.

And you look at the resources that Philadelphia has...

and you say, "Why can't we do this?"

WOMAN: How you doing? Starting today? - Good morning. Yeah.

WOMAN: We're probably the largest urban, inner-city...

Catholic school in Philadelphia.

Last week, our school nurse...

she came to me on Friday and she said, "Sister, I want you to know...

that in the past 48 hours, there have been 10 shootings.

And you know this is going to affect our children."

We have to give the children something better.

Should we line them up outside?

WOMAN: Line them up in the hallways.

- Okay, second graders? - But keep them separate.

BOY 1: Third. BOY 2: We're in second.

- Second or third? Third is here. - This line is third.

-Third is here? No, second is here. BOY 3: Second.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[WHISTLES]

Am I talking or are you talking? I'm talking?

Hey, guys.

Um... Wow.

The music program's finally here.

It's really, really good to see all of you.

I want to briefly introduce our teachers.

[APPLAUSE]

THOMPSON: You give a kid an instrument...

especially a kid that comes from a culture...

I call it an immediate culture.

Where they don't understand the value of their kid...

holding a violin under their chin for a couple of hours every single day.

So we're trying to build this new culture.

[PLAYING DISCORDANTLY]

MAN: Closer together, the fingers.

So, what was it again, the rhythm?

[BOTH SINGING NOTES]

My name is Raven. Um...

Um, I play the violin.

- This is my best friend. - Yeah, we homeys.

[SINGING SCALES]

-Oh, no. WOMAN: Try one more time.

No, you did it, which makes me know that you can. Try it again.

No? Okay, I pushed you a little too far.

I'm gonna make you a soprano, though.

[PLAYING HARMONIOUSLY]

Beautiful. You do the harmony first and make sure you count two beats...

and then look, make sure your bow ends together.

ZEBADIAH: I like playing it, and I'm used to it because I play guitar already.

The only thing that's really hard about it is memorizing a new instrument...

because the notes are in different places and we have to memorize a new clef.

So it's gonna be hard to read the music.

MAN: Do you take the viola home and practice?

We're not allowed to yet, and we're not allowed to ask.

We're not allowed to ask when.

GIRL: Whoo! Ready, set... - Wait... Okay, ready, set...

WOMAN: You can actually see the social benefit that learning to play music has.

You know, there's a lot more going on than simply learning to play the instrument.

I think it's a great tool for them. They're still learning to be people.

- You know what that little V means? - Up-bow.

Yeah, it's an up-bow.

Three and...

WOMAN: She loves the violin.

I know Raven's mom would be happy.

Because, you know, Raven's mom is not with us anymore.

So I think she's proud of Raven, I think.

And I hope I'm doing a good job with her.

WOMAN: Vania knew that her children were in good hands.

She knew that they would be taken care of...

and Terry and I do that.

I wish she was here. She would be proud of her.

Her mother wanted to play the violin.

That's why I wanted to play the violin.

I wanted to, like, do it because my mom, she never got to do it.

So that's why I wanted to do it, to make her happy.

MAN: Good afternoon, everyone. ALL: Good afternoon, Mr. Nicholas.

We need to talk.

Listen, listen, listen.

As from today...

before every rehearsal and every concert...

Raven will stand up either in here...

Go with me, go with me, go with me.

Or in here.

So everyone should immediately stop playing and talking.

So, what's next?

- Raven? - I cue clarinet.

[PLAYING NOTES]

[ORCHESTRA WARMING UP]

WOMAN: Ready, lift your bows.

THOMPSON: I have this commitment to these 80 kids.

I know that if we can keep this program in their lives...

we can literally save their lives.

I mean, the world is real.

And they're gonna hit it really soon.

I want Mohamed to get his trombone and put it together slowly.

And talk about how you put it together.

You need to take out your slide, and then this...

-What is it called again? MAN: The bell.

- The bell. - Nice and slow, so that they can see.

So then you have to slowly put it inside right here on the slide.

The trombone stick with the slide. If you put it on this side, it won't work.

And then you take out your mouthpiece. Be careful, always be careful...

because if you drop it, it's gonna make a damage.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Okay, because the principal just said to me earlier, she said:

"We took care of snack time, everything will be fine."

- I'm playing the clarinet. - Okay.

One at a time. All right. So you are Nathaniel, is that right?

- Yes. - Okay. So we have your application.

-What instrument do you wanna play? -Well, I wanted the trombone, but...

FITZGIBBON: Basically, I just packed everything in...

and I moved in 2007 to Caracas, Venezuela.

And that changed the trajectory of everything I was doing.

You know, in Venezuela, El Sistema is talked about as a social program.

And I think what Venezuela did for me more than anything else...

is it broadened my understanding...

of what could be accomplished through music.

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING DRAMATIC MUSIC]

Day-to-day when I would visit these various instructional centers there...

often I would travel into the barrio in an armored vehicle. It was that dangerous.

You'd see a lot of disturbing day-to-day realities...

but then you would hear this music...

spilling out of the windows of a school there.

And it was the experience that I think I was hoping to have.

I think maybe the jaded New Yorker in me thought:

"Am I really gonna be that impressed when I get there?"

But it's pretty amazing.

[PLAYING NOTES]

MAN: All right, so we're gonna start it off. You guys have different parts, okay?

[MAN SINGING NOTES]

One, two, ready, go.

[MAN SINGING NOTES]

Good, try it again. And really swing that... Groove those eighth notes.

[PLAYING NOTES]

You ready? One, two, ready, go.

-B flat, A, G, A. Good, yeah, yeah. NATHANIEL: What note is this?

So, Mohamed, play for Nathaniel the first bar over here.

One, two, three, four.

[MAN SINGING NOTES]

Yeah, there you go. Good.

FITZGIBBON: What I think is beautiful...

is that we're teaching children to discover their capacity.

We're not just telling them, "Believe me. I'm older than you are."

We're putting an instrument in their hands...

we're teaching them some really complicated stuff...

and they're discovering how capable they are.

MAN: Mohamed, play... Teach Nathaniel these notes over here.

[DOOR BUZZES]

MOHAMED: Think it's about done.

DAD: It's hot?

I'm in fifth grade now, and, uh, I'm just learning.

[DAD SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

DAD: Fifth grade is not your real grade, right?

-I know. Sixth grade is supposed to be. DAD: Okay.

-But... DAD: We hope that'll never happen again.

I got left back in second grade because maybe I forgot one subject.

I forgot one subject.

And that was, like...

That was a little bit of math and a little bit of reading.

No, that was a little bit of math.

Oh, I... The big problem was he was not listening at all in the classroom.

So he was playing around a lot.

He was not even able to do his homework alone.

This is my big concern.

I don't want any of my kid to stay back any year at any time...

because whoever doesn't stay back...

they will finish, they will be in life before you.

So it's very hard to... We don't know when we're gonna go...

and we want to see them successful before that time has happened.

I think it's helpful for me, so next time I won't have to stay back...

be held back... Um, be held back again.

So I'm just gonna have to try...

Try to stay on the same level...

so I won't go down again.

Did you miss your instrument...

- over the holidays? - Yes.

- What's your instrument? - Violin.

What was it like not to have it for all those days?

Lonely.

Time away from it was kind of horrible in my book.

- Was it? It was the holidays. - As far as things go...

It was the holidays.

- Horrible. - Were they? Why?

- Just horrible. I missed it. - You just missed it.

I did not want to be without my instrument.

- I did not. - Well, that's great.

What are you gonna do now with it?

I'm gonna wait until they tell me I can take it home.

Then I'm gonna play it when I get home.

What?

On the first part, you were doing staccato.

That was all legato.

And then the next time, it was staccato.

One, one, E, A, one, one, E, A.

So now let's do the regular way, because you seem to get really mixed up.

- Do you know how to do this? - Yes.

- You have to go back here, then... - You have to go play this.

Then you play one, then you go back to this...

then you skip one and go to two.

- So you go...? - First you do A, you play the first...

- then you go to A, then you play two. - Oh!

[PLAYING BEETHOVEN'S "ODE TO JOY"]

But they're still:

[SINGING NOTES]

You did: bah!

[SINGING NOTES]

Oh, we're gonna get this D. We're gonna get this D.

I want you and Matthew to play at G.

[SINGING NOTES]

Okay, and then I want you to play the melody...

the melody at the beginning:

[SINGING NOTES]

And...

THOMPSON: When you're 5 or 6 years old, you can't say, "I'm a doctor."

"I want to be a doctor. I want to be an astronaut."

It's something that these kids at their young ages...

they can hold and they can say, "I'm a musician."

They're part of this orchestra...

and that sense of community, of striving together...

um, and that's what this whole El Sistema philosophy is about.

-I love my violin. GIRL: Heh-heh.

It's my everything. It's my baby.

- I like my tie, okay? - You like your tie, but I like his better.

But, see, there's a difference. He has to be like that.

- I can be like this. - Yeah, you're weird.

- Okay, I feel the love. - Why is yours so plain?

- This is the million-dollar tie. - Where's my pony?

I'm done talking to y'all.

[APPLAUSE]

THOMPSON: Look at this community.

Look at my cellos, look at my violas...

look at the winds and the brass.

What this all represents are different parts of a community that come together...

and the only thing that they're here is to agree with one another.

Because if they take their mind off of what they're doing for five seconds...

that could ruin what happens to the entire group...

and this is all a metaphor for their life.

For this last one, I wanted to ask for a little bit of help, so...

[APPLAUSE]

Just "one, two, three, four."

Just give them a big "one, two, three, four."

Okay? One, two, three, four...

-You guys ready? THOMPSON: Okay?

-One, two, three, four. THOMPSON: Three, four.

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING ROCKYTHEME SONG]

[CROWD CHEERING]

THOMPSON: The mayor did a great job.

But it was a little too slow.

[CROWD LAUGHS]

Ready? Ready? Ready?

One, two, three, four.

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING ROCKYTHEME SONG]

One, two, three, four. One, two, three.

And one, two, three, four. One, two, three.

[CROWD CHEERING]

WOMAN: Very beautiful.

- All right, does this sound familiar? - Yes.

WOMAN: She was actually not one of the strongest players like right away.

She wasn't on of those kids who picked it up like she played the violin in a past life...

but what happened with her was when the concerts happened...

she had this...

Something happened for her when she got on-stage.

She's one of those people who gets on-stage and she changes.

She has this whole transformation when she steps on-stage.

And, from that, she's flying now.

She gets up at 6 in the morning and she's playing the violin.

She comes home from practice and she plays the violin.

RAVEN: I like to practice a lot, a lot, a lot.

Sometimes I stay up till like 12, heh...

and J'son, he'd be asleep, and then I just keep on playing and playing.

And sometimes he gets an attitude. Well, not an attitude. He get upset.

He come to my room and tell me to stop, and I just keep on going.

[RAVEN LAUGHS]

He can put a pillow over his face.

[RAVEN LAUGHS]

And you're here.

Okay, so now last thing that we need to do is practice the jump. That.

Shh.

Two, three, four... I got you.

So we have, one, two, three, four, five.

[SINGING NOTES]

- Okay? From... - Eh?

This is worth four eighth notes...

and we have one more beat.

One, two, three, four, five.

And then here we go, okay?

So, now, this is how we're gonna learn it.

I want you to go:

B flat to D and then four.

So up, up, down.

One and then... And then four.

Now you gotta learn the distances.

[PLAYING NOTES]

One.

There we go.

Uh-huh.

It's not easy. This is how I pick pieces.

Each piece has a technique thing, that once you learn how to do it right...

then you're at a different level. That's this.

I can't wait for you guys to tackle this part.

Wait a second. Where are you?

GONZALEZ: I'm okay, I'm okay. GIRL: It's so awesome.

GONZALEZ: That's okay. Don't have nightmares at night.

-I wanna do that. I wanna do that so bad. GONZALEZ: You are so gonna do that.

FITZGIBBON: I studied the clarinet.

I'd never wanted to be a professional musician...

but I loved the camaraderie, the community of musicians...

and I loved making music.

WOMAN: D-major?

Let's do it. E-major, D-major.

I'm in zero.

I'm sorry, that's way too slow for me.

Wake up, people.

Careful, I'm coming.

[GIRL LAUGHS]

We're gonna play whole notes as a warm-up.

The entire scale, now.

One, two, three...

Hey. Heh.

How are you? You're all dressed up. You good?

- Yeah, I gotta go... - You gotta go?

MOHAMED: Yeah, lock the door and... - All right. Take your time.

-Do you need my help? MOHAMED: No, it's okay.

DESBORDES: So you take everything you need, huh?

And it's cold outside.

- Everything you need? - Yes.

- Trombone? Mouthpiece? Music? - I have everything. Mm-hm.

[BAND PLAYING JAZZ MUSIC]

DESBORDES: Whoo!

All right, let's go. Ha-ha-ha.

They're good there.

- Wow, this is nice. - It's already night.

I've never...

I've never been here before.

We're right here.

-Right here. Look. MOHAMED: Wow.

Like, here right now I see a million...

Like, 99 million cars driving in the city.

FITZGIBBON: You guys know what's happening tonight?

Do you know we have special visitors coming?

Do you know the name of the man that we're honoring tonight?

- Starts with an H? - It starts with an A.

Maestro Abreu.

-He's a special person in my life... -He's the one who made an orchestra?

He did, he made an orchestra.

Yeah, and in fact, he's made hundreds of orchestras.

So he's taught a lot of kids, not only in Venezuela...

but he's inspired, um, the teaching of music all over the world.

And he's inspired our work, so I'm having him to this party...

so that the Harmony Program could introduce him to you...

and you can play for him and thank him for what he's done for us.

What do you think, Ari? Good?

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

- That's good. - So that's good.

FITZGIBBON: Bienvenido. How wonderful to see you.

[FITZGIBBON SPEAKS IN SPANISH]

[TROMBONES PLAYING "FROSTY THE SNOWMAN"]

Congratulations. Excellent.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

The children that have performed tonight...

show a very serious work...

solid pedagogy...

and enthusiasm and mystique that is tremendous...

one that deserves a wholehearted applause.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Maybe tomorrow would you mind, actually...

if, uh, I give you my kids and you do like a workshop?

MAN: Yeah. DESBORDES: Nathaniel is playing it too?

CAMARA: You wanna do music? Fine.

But try to forget your toys...

when you are in math class.

I always... I said that one last time...

today, again, I'm gonna repeat to you:

Stop play too much.

It's no good for you.

You're not getting younger.

You're getting older every day.

That's my big concern for you.

I know you play good music.

I've never had the chance to go to your play place.

But one day I will be...

and it will be my pleasure to be there and...

you know, see what you are doing.

But to help me go there and be happy to go there...

I want to see on your report card something that I can show to anybody:

"Oh, this is my son's report card. I am happy."

I see people who are playing what you play right now...

they have big things like this because you need...

To play this one, you got to be strong...

and you're not strong.

DESBORDES: Two, three.

Two, three.

Two, three. Two, three.

MAN: I mean, he's really super talented.

I've never seen a kid with so much potential right at the beginning.

Really natural trombone player.

I really, really think he could go all the way to being a professional...

no question about it.

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING]

DESBORDES: Beautiful.

RAVEN: Mr. Gregorio, he knew how to play "Thriller" on his violin.

BURCKHALTER: Raven's dad, he went to Tennessee.

He has a child down there now.

He comes back in their lives and leaves again.

Raven is coping.

She says to me she doesn't care.

And how long is your toes gonna get done?

Mmm. Two minutes.

It depends because she gotta soak my feet, clean it.

- Your mom used to always do that too. - Heh.

Then when I pick her up...

she's there talking to the stylist and all that stuff...

and I'm looking at my watch:

"Come on. Let's go, let's go, let's go."

-Hey! What's going on, big guy? MAN: I'm all right.

Relax, Kendall.

[RAVEN SINGING NOTES]

[ENSEMBLE PLAYING BEETHOVEN'S "ODE TO JOY"]

Thank you, people!

[LAUGHING]

Five, six, seven, eight.

[SINGING NOTES]

-I need fortissimo, yo! BOY: Wait...

GIRL: It's piano!

RAVEN: Oh, I'm sorry. The tempo's one, two, three, four.

BOY: Yes. - One, two, three, four.

Do I look like Mr. Stan, Mrs. Lisa?

RAVEN: I'm doing this, okay?

You're just doing this.

I need a violin, I need a violin. Can I get a violin?

I'm-a show you how it's done. I'm-a show you.

You wanna do 97?

-That's good. Yeah. GIRL: Oh, that's your part. Okay, okay.

Five, six, seven, eight.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

- What's my name, Craig? - Her name is Mrs. Perfect.

-What's my name, what's my name? -This is Mrs. Perfect. Mrs. Perfect.

Ooh, I made trigger. Look, I made a trigger.

We're playing... We're playing "Deer Hunter."

CRAIG: That's your future. - No, I'm gonna be a soccer player.

- Soccer player? - Are you serious?

I'm gonna go all around the room. What are you...? Soccer player?

- I don't know. - A designer.

- A pediatrician. - A pediatrician?

I love babies.

- You mean a nurse, right? - A pediatrician.

- You mean a nurse, right? - I mean a pediatrician!

- You mean a doctor? - I mean a pediatrician!

MAN: Kevon.

Here you go. Sing this with me, one.

GIRL: One, three, five.

WOMAN: You're fine. You always act like you can't do it.

Now we're gonna be doing more complicated stuff.

That's the easiest... Those are some of the easiest intervals to hear.

One, three, five because it's part of a chord.

You guys keep the talking down.

A lot of these rhythms are...

Raven, I will pull you out.

I don't care. I don't care.

If you have a problem, raise your hand...

you do not speak out of turn.

-Have we gotten very much done today? ALL: No.

- Why is that? - Playing around?

Okay, well, playing around... Zebadiah.

Too much messing around, too much nothing.

So wasting 10 minutes of our class or the 10 minutes we're wasting now...

from the stupid talk we're having...

that I wish we didn't have because we're rehearsing...

that is not a way that you are taking advantage of this program.

You understand?

MAN: When somebody is having a bad day and hurting the whole class...

how can I deal with the class and them at the same time?

Okay, and I don't think the solution is, uh, necessarily...

go sit in the corner or go leave the room and sit with Mr. Stan...

-Or you can't take home your instrument. MAN: The solution, maybe is...

THOMPSON: We start taking away from the kids and their experience...

and there's a different way to channel the problems within the classroom.

Stanford, I think you should try to teach one of these classes.

[PLAYING OUT OF RHYTHM]

WOMAN: I'm sorry, it's not good enough.

There were how many of you, three...

who should be playing it perfectly.

I know you were absent last time.

We went through this in class.

Again. One, two, three and...

MAN [SOFTLY]: What are you guys doing out here?

I said, "What concerts are we putting on?"

She said, "When are we going?"

And he said, "Get out."

THOMPSON: The reason we do this every day...

is to give you guys the opportunity to sound as good as possible.

And I refuse to put you guys on any stage, anywhere...

in front of an audience that will sit there and say:

"Oh, that's so cute. They're little black kids from West Philadelphia...

playing classical music."

I want them to sit in that audience and say:

"Holy shit, those kids can play."

[ALL LAUGH]

I'm serious. I'm serious, guys.

So this is my...

This is what I think's gonna happen.

I think that in this room, and possibly in this program...

there's gonna be 70 percent of you guys...

that really take this opportunity seriously...

and do great in other parts of your life.

There's gonna be 20 percent of you guys that give up...

and decide that this is not for you.

And there's gonna be 10 percent of you guys...

that will give up and give up in other parts in your life...

and end up in jail, and end up with kids when you're 16...

and have no money.

And you know what, I wanna prove them all wrong.

I wanna say that 100 percent of you guys...

are gonna take this opportunity seriously...

and that you're gonna be different people.

It's that simple, all right?

And if you guys are not gonna, uh, take this seriously...

I want you out of here.

-You ready? GIRL: Yes.

All right.

One, two, three and...

One, two, ready and...

Shh, shh, shh. Let's try it one more time, one more time. Beginning, everybody!

-Is everybody awake? ALL: Yes!

THOMPSON: Growing up, what it was was that I was playing in groups...

with lots of white kids.

Most of the time I would be the only black person.

Between me and my brother...

there was hardly any black students...

in the youth orchestra and in the all-state bands.

There was this thing of, like, proving yourself.

That you could actually play this other art form.

When I see, you know, my brothers and sisters and I...

go off to great schools of music...

I look at the kids and there's no reason why they can't do it.

But the thing is, that if you don't provide them that teacher...

that will help guide them and teach them what they need to teach...

then they're not gonna make it.

Just like if you don't have that parent in their life...

you know, that's popping them whenever they do something stupid.

[SINGING NOTES]

Once you give these kids the frame of mind of doing it...

then it gets a little bit easier for them...

to make the next decision they need to make in life.

Hey, trumpets, don't let the violins play this better than you, okay?

MAN: It's my great pleasure to present the Brass Percussion Ensemble.

WOMAN: Yes!

[CROWD CHEERING]

MAN: They're playing a very sophisticated rhythmic piece...

um, the theme song to Indiana Jones by John Williams.

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING INDIANA JONESTHEME SONG]

FITZGIBBON: I've almost developed a taste for that beginner-musician sound.

They're working so hard, and it's not perfect...

but I love it because you hear the promise in the sound.

It's not quite there and I like the sound of the struggle.

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[CROWD CHEERING]

DESBORDES: We just did for you, uh, music entitled "The Great Gate of Kiev"...

and that was our hello.

DESBORDES: Do you compose? - No.

- Do you want to? - Yes.

Here you go.

There's some paper for you to compose when you want.

Some.

Pick one, you can compose an orchestral piece.

- Okay. - Much bigger than the others.

Moldau. Chamambo.

All right, you want to do Chamambo?

I'm gonna d Wonderful World.

We're gonna start by finding all the flutes.

When it's not orchestra, just give it to me...

- and I'll figure it out, okay? - Okay.

All right.

- Did you like the recital last week? - Mm-hm.

I think you did a great job.

I liked your solo in the modal...

you and I looked at each other, remember?

You played really loud.

All right. How is school lately?

- Uh, good. - What do you think about the tests?

- You think you'll be fine? - Like, you get like threes and fours.

That's the work you do, you...

They take you to the next grade.

- Great. - And if they see ones and twos...

then you'll have to repeat it.

If it's one and two, you have to repeat your grade?

How well do you think you did?

Uh... I don't know.

So if you pass your grade, you can still be with us, right?

- Mm-hm. - And if you don't, what happens?

I'm not, uh...

I think I'm not gonna be in Harmony.

Why not?

Because I don't get enough back...

Who said so?

Well, my dad said that if I don't pass, then I'm not going to Harmony.

Here's one more.

ZEBADIAH: I used to be so anti-social.

I had next to no friends, no one liked me.

And some things happened, and my life wasn't exactly all that easy.

Then we go into this music program...

RONNELL: We weren't even friends before, like, 7th grade?

But like last year, we all hooked up and we liked each other.

It's like, it's not because of our... Of how we acted that brought us together.

It was the music. It's really strange.

ZEBADIAH: If I'm not wrong, why should I admit that I'm wrong?

-You're definitely wrong. ZEBADIAH: No, you're wrong.

- You're wrong... - Women are never wrong.

-Women are never wrong. ZEBADIAH: You're not, you're a girl.

-I am a woman, shut up. ZEBADIAH: No, you're not, you're a girl.

-I'm a woman. I'm a lady. ZEBADIAH: You're a girl.

ZEBADIAH: It's almost sort of like God wanted me to go to, um, POP...

because I wasn't gonna go.

I told my mom, I don't want to do this...

I wanna play guitar...

I don't want to play classical music, I don't like it.

If I hadn't joined this program...

I would be sitting in my house...

in a corner, being the good student...

writing my research paper like I'm supposed to.

- Luke, I am your father. Heh. - Heh-heh-heh.

Instead, I'm here with my friends, doing something fun.

[THOMPSON MAKING SQUEAKY NOISES]

- Can you do that? - No.

[THOMPSON MAKING POPPING NOISES]

Just turn your chair and face me. Okay.

THOMPSON: I grew up in a musical household...

and my parents are both professional musicians and educators.

I am the seventh of eight, and we all played musical instruments.

You have to work out these muscles in your face.

Believe it or not, they can get stronger.

Try it again. Try it again. You're not... You're not stopping.

There was a lot of pressure mainly because, you know...

my parents started to develop, literally, a formula.

We needed to have the best teachers.

We needed to work hard consistently every day.

Uh, we had to develop the self-discipline.

And they sacrificed a lot.

You know, I didn't get the new shoes that was coming out.

I wore my brother's clothes.

[SINGS NOTE]

It helps if you bring your knees too. You gotta do the whole:

I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

[BOTH LAUGH]

My parents converted probably about 30 years ago.

It wasn't popular at all to be black and Mormon.

There weren't many, uh, especially in Atlanta.

And because of this really close-knit community...

when somebody needed something, you knew.

You knew when a family was having a hard time financially...

and needed groceries.

You also knew when someone was gonna move.

And half the church would be there to help you move.

As I keep talking about this POP family...

I think a lot of it goes back to the way that I was raised in the Mormon Church.

RAVEN: So, Mom, what are you wearing tomorrow?

- I was gonna wear my suit tonight... - No, please wear the gray?

You can wear that tonight, and tomorrow the gray.

- What gray? - With the gray hat and the gray outfit.

- I like the gray. - No, but I was saying...

- I wore that last time. - Oh, yeah.

BURCKHALTER: I love music, I love talent.

So when I see that my grandkids are kind of, like, interested in that...

Why not the pink?

I say go for it.

I try not to think about my kids.

My son, my daughter.

They left their children.

And I'm still trying to process that.

And I'm 61 years old and I'm still trying to process it.

I took both of my kids, both of my children...

to court and got custody of their kids.

I shouldn't have had to go through that, but I did.

-Ready? GIRL: I'm waiting on you.

Okay. I'm ready.

- I bring both. - All right, where we doing this at?

Mom's in the bathroom.

BURCKHALTER: Raven is with me, and Taylor, she has a little place...

but Taylor is mostly with me too.

I've had her since she came out of the womb.

She's never left me.

TAYLOR: All right, how do you want your hair?

Just curl like you usually do it.

- Oh. - No, you've grown, Raven.

You don't need to stand up on the thing anymore.

KENDALL: Mom? - Yes, Kendall?

KENDALL: Where are you? - I'm in the bathroom doing Raven's hair.

KENDALL: Can I come?

You can come in and stand, okay?

RAVEN: Hi, Kendall.

-Achoo! TAYLOR: Achoo?

RAVEN: Bless you.

You're not gonna wear the, uh, piano tie?

I cannot. They said, for this one, you can't.

TAYLOR: You gotta wear just like a solid black one?

- Mm. Solid white. - Oh, a solid white tie?

- No. No, for this one... - I'm talking about what tie you're wearing.

- No ties. - No ties?

- Because they said no ties. - Oh, that blows.

It does. But tomorrow, a whole new me.

- What tie are you wearing tomorrow? - I cannot tell.

Ah, you act...

- What tie are you wearing? - It's a surprise.

I will find out later tonight.

-Man. You'll go through my stuff. -Uh, I don't go through your stuff.

You just leave your stuff laying around, like you usually do.

RAVEN: Thanks. Excited.

- Oh, my gosh. - It's beautiful.

Look at that. Whoa, wings.

This is amazing.

What if we lived here?

Look at the goat.

Look at this, Mom. It'd took probably days to clean this.

BURCKHALTER: I love the steps. Gorgeous.

Oh, my gosh. Chandeliers.

THOMPSON: The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra is hosting their annual gala...

at the Union League of Philadelphia.

Uh, which, you know, I've always kind of felt to be a little stuffy.

But I think it will be a really cool venue for the kids to play in.

WOMAN: As soon as you're back here, you are silent.

Get that out of your mouth. Ah!

[KIDS LAUGHING]

- That's how you rosin the bow. - No.

- Rosin on. - No, that's not your tongue. Ah!

Mr. Stan licked my bow.

Shh, shh. Raven, you cannot talk. Okay?

I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it.

Okay. You ready?

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING LIVELY MUSIC]

[APPLAUSE]

Is he getting some extra help in school?

No.

- Not at all? - No.

Does he have time to do his homework at home after his Harmony classes?

He comes home, what does he do at home afterwards?

He's just... He's here. He's... He must be able to tell us.

- How are you spending your time? - I'm not home all the time.

Yeah.

Well, at home, I, um...

I do my ho... Um...

First, I take off...

Yeah, first, I take off my uniform and put on my regular clothes.

And, you know, sometimes I have to, you know, eat...

then watch a little TV, then I do my homework.

When I am home, if you don't tell him, if you don't force him to do his homework...

his homework is last thing what he's doing.

He just lied to us here, that after eating he take...

No.

No, that's lie.

FITZGIBBON: I think your dad is saying you have to spend more time...

on your homework and your school work.

What do you think about that?

At home, does your brother make you do your homework?

- Yes. - Yeah?

CAMARA: It's not just homework. He's not listening in the classroom.

That's the bottom line.

- Not paying attention? Mm-hm. - No.

FITZGIBBON: Um...

Well, one of the things that we believe is that the music education...

can actually help him with some of the things he's struggling with...

like his ability to pay attention and to focus and to listen.

Those are the things that we work with him in Harmony on.

In fact, I brought his evaluation from the Harmony Program.

You've probably seen this.

I mean, he's an exceptional musician.

His teacher writes that he's especially advanced for his age.

In order to be successful as a musician, you have to be able to focus.

Right, Mohamed? And pay attention.

So what we would hope...

is that, by practicing his music, he's learning to focus.

- He's just playing, that one. - Mm-hm.

Just playing.

Same thing I've told you before. Is same problem he's doing.

I wonder, you know, if his teacher is willing to say...

that she'll spend some time with him after class...

he can spend... Maybe he can spend an extra hour after class...

getting some help and come late to us.

I mean, I appreciate how important his academics are.

What do you think?

Yeah, I think I can do that.

Do you think you can apply yourself a little more in the classroom?

Spend more time on your homework?

If you knew you could stay in the Harmony Program...

only if you did better in school...

you think you could apply yourself a little more?

We don't wanna lose you, right?

Violas?

Okay, do your thing, you know what I mean, chicken wings?

GIRL: What? - Chicken wings. Mm-hm.

Do your thing, eat some chicken wings.

We have folks that have visited this program from South Korea...

from Canada, from the U.K...

as far as Northern California...

up to Syracuse, New York, Miami, Florida.

If you haven't seen the front-page article in The Philadelphia Inquirer...

come talk to me.

I mean, people are writing about what your kids are accomplishing.

[PLAYING BEETHOVEN'S "ODE TO JOY"]

It was awesome. It was epic.

And you know it was good because I was saying "epic."

No one knows how to use that word anymore.

[SCREAMS]

"I'm so proud of your success with the violin.

Keep following your dreams.

To Raven, Love, Mama." Aw.

Thanks, Mama.

Yes!

ZEBADIAH: I believe that everyone should be their own independent person...

and whenever I stop being my own independent person...

I say, "What are you doing? Stop it. Stop it now."

Not that people should live life alone.

I believe that every person should have friends...

and should, like, trust their family and their friends and everything...

but that doesn't mean I have to become them in order to live my life.

I just, like... We comfort each other.

ZEBADIAH: Hey, hon. - Hey.

Gonna go home, go to sleep.

MOM: Long day? - You don't know the half of it.

You know what? Forget that. You don't know any of it.

Music is in everyone's heart.

And if we can find a common ground, we can bridge so many gaps...

that keep us separated.

And instead of being separated, we can become connected.

[STRINGS PLAYING]

Hey! Bravo. Good. Very good. Romanian.

ZEBADIAH: Good teachers can bridge the gap.

They make sure that there's no gap between teacher and student.

GONZALEZ: And...

GONZALEZ: Summer's nice, they don't have school.

They don't have anything else to think about so they can just think about music.

I do feel a little bit of a cultural tie to them.

I feel quite at home with how they are.

I grew up in almost the same setting...

where it was free tuition. My mom was poor.

That's how I started the violin.

You know, this music is not just elite, for elite people...

or for people who, you know, take it seriously. It's for everybody.

I don't know. I just feel like I understand them really well...

because I kind of get it.

And...

I'm sorry. That was not nearly as physical as I want.

I wanna see flab flying, I wanna see: bwah, bwah!

Seriously. Blah, bwah!

ZEBADIAH: Everyone has a role on this planet.

Mine is to help people.

The way that I plan on doing it is music.

Find one person who doesn't like music and bring them to me.

If you like cars but you don't like music, then the sound an engine makes.

If you like trains, but you don't like music...

the sound it makes when it's on the tracks.

There's music in absolutely everything.

You cannot tell me you don't love music, you're lying.

THOMPSON: Uh, I mean, we may be opening up a couple new sites in the fall...

and there's gonna be a lot to manage.

Probably within the next five years...

I definitely see us having half a dozen sites.

Yeah, I'm writing a letter to Gustavo Dudamel.

I mean, we could get the kids working with Gustavo when he's in town.

You know, we think of these big names like Gustavo and Simon Rattle...

all these big conductors and soloists that are coming into town.

And we're sitting here kind of like picking and choosing.

- Stanford Thompson? - Nice to meet you.

- I like that name. - Heh. Well, thanks.

- Bobby McFerrin, I like that name too. - I like that name too.

We see the kids three hours a day, five days a week.

Five days a week, three hours a day.

- For 34 weeks throughout the school year. - That's great.

Then we have a six-week summer session.

This summer, we'll have them six hours a day.

[SINGING NOTES]

[McFERRIN SCATTING]

[BOTH MAKING RHYTHMIC NOISES]

[CHILDREN CHEERING]

[ALL SINGING]

MAN: Ready? And there you go.

Mindless Behavior will come to our school and we'll play for them.

-What about Mindless Behavior? GIRL: Can we come?

BOY: They're coming? - Wait, wait, wait. Who?

ALL: Mindless Behavior. - What about Mindless Behavior?

THOMPSON: I think that she thinks that because she's so good and talented...

and that she's so likable...

she can get away with doing just about anything...

and acting any type of way.

She's just not being the type of, you know...

role model that she needs to be for some of the younger kids.

And we're hoping that Raven will, you know, really warm up...

to the responsibility she has...

as, you know, one of the best violinists in the program.

RAVEN: My teacher told me I had to get a detention.

We was doing spelling bee and I was bored, so I talked.

-It's gonna be rough. GIRL: Why?

I don't know, but to me it's gonna be rough...

because Ms. Naomi is gonna say, "You're supposed to be a leader."

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

GONZALEZ: It's a little loud. It's a little loud.

- She playing with y'all? - Yes.

GONZALEZ: Bring it down. - She couldn't do the action sound.

I just said... I just said...

that it's too loud.

You wait, what, like one second as soon as I finish talking, then you talk?

Can you give me silence for like a second, is that okay?

Thank you.

Three, four, five.

THOMPSON: Over the past couple of months...

Raven has been placed at the back of the first violin section.

And, I mean, this has been a good thing for her.

Um, it's been good for the other kids to have some time in the spotlight as well.

Well, Mr. Stan, like, changed a whole lot.

Yeah, and, like, I'm not the only person who says that.

Raven thinks she's the stuff. Honestly.

Honestly. The ego has caught up with her.

Um, and it's pretty much driving us all crazy.

And sometimes we're ready to body-slam her...

but we don't do that. Um, when the kids perform...

at the Temple Performance Arts Center for TEDx Philly, we told her:

"You're not coming."

RAVEN: I was really upset when they said I couldn't play.

And, like, I honestly cried for two days.

But like for other children, if they do something bad, they just let it slide.

But for me, for other kids, they won't let it slide.

So they're picking their favorites.

Can I have that triplet faster? Shot-da-da-dum.

Miss Rebecca told everybody, "Raven, you're not playing a solo.

You're not the concert master, and you're sitting in the back."

And I'm looking at Raven...

and Raven's tears are rolling down her face.

I'm getting tissues out, I'm saying, "Raven."

She said, "Mom, I've never felt so humiliated in all my life."

THOMPSON: I've told the kids from day one:

"I don't care if you're the best one. You're all gonna be part of the scene.

And you're all going to put in your fair share of work."

So I think Miss Raven learned a really big lesson.

She needs to work her way back up the section.

We had a family meeting and I told them:

"I don't wanna quit POP, because I like music...

but I think that's what I have to do.

If this is gonna continue like this, I think that's what I have to do.

I said, "Raven, think about it."

And I talked to her, my mom talked to her.

I said, "You play. Don't let nobody take that from you."

RAVEN: Every time I play music, I feel, like, safe.

So, like, if I did quit POP, it would be kind of, like, frightening...

because I don't have nothing to fall back on.

I can express myself by playing.

If I quit POP, then I can't express myself anymore.

BURCKHALTER: We got it.

Oh, we did have it.

MAN: Need some help?

-You all set? MOHAMED: Yeah.

MAN: Take out your horns.

Make up for lost time here.

MOHAMED: I thought you said, "Take out your homework."

MAN: Homework? Yeah, take out your homework.

Your horns are your homework.

MAN: One, two, three, four.

Yeah, there you go.

I'm thinking, let's put a, um, decrescendo right here...

so when we... Like, let's put a little piano forte.

MAN: Piano forte?

Yeah, and then we put a decrescendo...

MAN: A fortepiano. So start loud, yeah?

[IMITATES VOLUME CHANGE]

MAN: Yeah, let's do it, let's do it. I actually like that.

All right. I'm gonna play the bass line, you guys can do that.

So you know what you're doing?

One.

[TROMBONES PLAYING]

MAN: Yeah.

MOHAMED: I know it now. MAN: Yeah, you got it?

I just want to review...

The only thing I was stuck on was the F, F, C-sharp.

- Yeah. - Man, my hands are sweating.

Nice job, guys, nice job.

I feel like I broke my left hand. Look at this.

MAN: Guys, yeah, it's been a great year, first of all. Right?

You've come a really long way. It's pretty awesome.

That's cool. What do you want to finish up on?

FITZGIBBON: Mohamed was held back once when he was in the third grade...

and over the summer there was some confusion...

about whether or not he was going to be held back again.

In the fall we learned that he was gonna be in the sixth grade...

but it was clear to all of us that he was really struggling academically.

We'll have to see whether or not his father follows through...

on that threat to take him out of the program.

It's still uncertain what his father is going to decide.

[SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

But the thing is, I mean, oh, it's just so frustrating...

because you know when you talk to him...

like, you see the light in his eye...

and you see how excited he is about music...

you see how animated he is interacting with his friends.

I know that his parents want the best for him.

I know that they are serious about raising a child who has opportunities...

and I know that they want him to succeed.

I just think that what we have to do is sell them a little bit more...

on music's contribution to that success.

THOMPSON: It didn't sink in until two days ago...

when I sat down with the Philly Orchestra...

to write the press release.

I'm putting Simon Rattle, Verizon Hall, Play on, Philly!, concert...

I'm putting all of those words in the same paragraph.

That's when it really sunk in, that this was actually happening.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Knocking on this thing...

- How much was this bus? - How much was it?

THOMPSON: It's not Simon Rattle just coming out to the school...

and conducting the kids...

but it's Simon Rattle who stood behind these kids...

saying that we're going to present them, in Verizon Hall, on that stage.

RAVEN: I'll be in either Hawaii, or New York City.

- Julliard. - Julliard.

ZEBADIAH: Curtis is better, Curtis is better.

Curtis is much better.

Okay, okay, we know about Curtis, but we want to explore the world.

We don't want to stay in Philly all our lives.

I'm gonna go to like eight different orchestras.

Travel around the world. One in Europe, one in Japan.

And, quite honestly, I think in 10 years they might not remember his name.

You know, those that don't really go into music...

I don't think they'll remember his name.

But I'm sure they're not gonna forget walking out onto that stage...

Saturday night, to a sold out audience. All these folks that will be clapping...

hopefully standing on their feet.

Um, that's gonna be the experience that they won't forget.

And those are the types of experiences that we claim that saves...

and changes these kids' lives.

I'm interested to see this Simon guy.

Me and Kimmy looked him up.

He got gray-blond hair. I mean gray curly hair.

I didn't mean blond, I meant curly.

THOMPSON: They have an hour of his time.

We think that he'll only need half an hour, because the kids are perfect.

So, you know, I mean, Rattle's not gonna have to do much...

but just wave his arms. Don't tell him I said that.

[APPLAUSE]

RATTLE: Hi, guys. Hi.

Right, good. Okay, look.

Now, I'd love to do this not quite so fast.

It's just: da-da-da. We've got to get on with it.

Let's give it a bit more time. Let's do the big chorale at 12.

Yeah: da-da-ba, ba-ba.

Okay? And...

[ORCHESTRA PLAYING]

All right, okay, good.

Look, look. Let's play...

You got bar numbers, yeah? Uh, let's go from 92, bar 92.

Do me a favor, would you just use your whole: rah!

Use the whole bow.

Like you're taking this and throwing it at me.

Or just, yeah, take the tree out from underneath. Yeah?

One, and...

That's it.

Right. Now, look, at the end, what I really do not want to see ever is:

Oh! If something goes wrong, then you look up.

So before the chords, really look at me so we've got a bit of contact...

and we can do this: bah.

What's the bar number?

Whoops. I've gotta get glasses. The numbers are too small.

Okay, that's embarrassing. Okay, so 18.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

ZEBADIAH: One of the teachers at POP told me:

"I will never get to do this in my lifetime," so am I dreaming?

We are really, really proud of what you're doing.

I hope you understand that what's happening tonight...

it's pretty much never happened anywhere else.

It's happening here in Philadelphia for the first time.

The performance starts the moment you walk out there.

So hold your head high...

don't look like you don't want to be there...

you ain't got nothing to be nervous about because you know this music.

[APPLAUSE]

RATTLE: They're great kids.

And this is only gonna help them fly more.

So I'm really proud that it's happening.

And I've already told them we're gonna do it again next year...

or whenever I come, I will just visit this.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Thank you. Good luck!

Thank you.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Zebadiah, that was epic, man, epic!

- Right? - Good job.

I saw these once or twice.

- No, no, good job. - Thanks.

Good job. Good playing.

Good playing, good playing. Really good playing.

I ain't gonna go to sleep tonight for a while.

It was like so many people, I almost fainted.

They all stood up. Heh. It was a standing ovation.

My hands started tingling a little bit, and I started getting a headache.

When I walked on that stage, I just felt radiant.

And I feel like we're just like one big musical family.

He was treating us like professionals.

Like, I thought he would treat us like child...

but he felt that we were good at what we do.

No one wanted to play that piece. Everyone was pretty much asleep.

Then he comes out...

and it's almost like he feeds us with this energy, this life-giving energy.

- Epic! Epic! - My word. My word.

- I stole the word from Zebadiah. Ha-ha! - My word. My word.

So...

WOMAN: So where you gonna go from here, guys?

- High school. Ha-ha. - Home.

Oh, Applebee's.

- Yeah. - She's a baby.

FITZGIBBON: Mohamed hasn't returned to the program this fall.

His father had made it clear to us...

that if his son didn't improve academically...

he wasn't gonna be able to, uh, continue with the Harmony Program.

So we've heard from his father...

and his father seems pretty adamant about it.

I like that your class is right here and I can say hello when I arrive.

MOHAMED: Mm-hm. - That's fun.

So, um...

You gave me your trombone the other day. You okay with that?

- Yeah. - How do you feel about that?

Not having your trombone anymore?

It feels...

I feel like...

I feel sad.

Yes?

Can I help?

Because, you know, I really want to play Harmony again.

Yeah?

Because my... I want to play Harmony again...

because I want to learn more about Harmony.

What do you want to learn?

Learn about new notes, new songs.

Yes?

That will be fun, right?

I understand you feel sad.

It's okay to feel sad, you know.

You're a very, very good musician...

so it's normal you want to learn new notes.

When I leave, um...

I kind of want to have more Harmony...

so I can review what we played.

Mm-hm.

Do you still have the music at home?

- You can look at it at home? - Mm-hm.

You know that it's a very powerful way to practice...

even if you don't have an instrument...

to just read the music and imagine that you're playing it.

It's a very powerful way because, while you're doing that...

your body... You don't see it, but your body reacts...

just like if you were actually playing for real.

It's called mental practice.

Everybody does it, professionals too, especially.

If...

If only my dad said that I could come back to Harmony, then...

That, um, I could, you know...

It helps me, um...

It gives me, um...

- It gives me joy. - Yes.

But this joy you have, you'll have it always with you, you know...

whether you have your trombone or not.

It's very important that you understand that, right?

It's always there, whether you have the trombone or not.

Yeah?

I just hope eventually he'll understand how important it is for his child...

you know.

It is. Heh.

But, you know.

Hopefully. He's trying to succeed...

and being happy is part of succeeding, in my opinion.

So if he can understand that and feel that...

then we have a chance, you know?

His mood seems different.

His mood seems kind of sad because he's not in Harmony.

And he doesn't really talk that much anymore.

THOMPSON: Zebadiah, it's been great having him in the program.

I'm really sad that he's graduating.

ZEBADIAH: This is my last year and I really feel like I accomplished something.

I want to teach, if not teach, at least help somehow with POP.

I can do that. I can most definitely do that.

THOMPSON: He's gonna be a really, really good mentor for the kids...

as he comes back next year.

I don't care how talented Zebadiah gets, you know.

What I care about is the type of person he becomes.

I feel like there should be a little victory jingle going on.

[SINGING NOTES]

I'm playing too much video games.

GONZALEZ: Let's get to work. We got a lot of work to do.

A lot. We're gonna bust it out...

so if you're gonna be sweating and crying, I'm not gonna stop, okay? Heh.

[SINGING NOTES]

When I go into my audition, first thing I'm gonna do is pray.

Um, and the second thing I'm gonna do is just take a step back...

and breathe and just say, "This is my passion."

If I don't make it, I'll try and try and try until I just can't try anymore.

And if I don't make, I don't make it. If I do make it, great.

So we have:

It's a 30-second note, but it really isn't.

If you think about it, it's more like a... These are more like eighth notes.

It's kind of slowed down, a little bit.

Okay, ha-ha, so... Yeah.

One, two, ready, and...

One, two, ready, and...

Okay. So that's all that is, that's all she wrote.

When I play any type of music such as Beethoven's 5th...

which is an angry and aggressive piece, I think of all the sad times...

and all the hard times I couldn't express myself...

and I just let it out in the music.

GONZALEZ: Now. Yeah.

RAVEN: Music to me is the ability to shine.

Music is like a gateway to life for me.

This is what I am.

[CROWD CHEERING]

[CROWD CHEERING]