SONG -A CONTINOUS ACT.PART 7.

There is nothing that I hate more than the plasticity of repetition. These are necessary words because of the brief note that I am about to leave here in this post of SONG. It will have nothing to do with the continuation of the bellow mentioned Portuguese music styles (sorry about that) but I wouldn´t feel good about myself If I didn´t added a few words about something that I believe that Is so revolutionary and wonderful that words become scarce to express.


Picture this -Picture a world where the most familiar word in your vocabulary is despair. Picture a world where the only smiling, faces or better yet grinning faces are the ones of drug dealers with fists full of money and human scum of similar trades. Picture a world where kids with ages between 10 and 14 kill themselves in turf wars day in and day out like dogs pissing to mark territory. Picture a world where more than half the people you know will die of violent death. Well this world as a name -SLUM. You don´t have to go to Africa or to some other continent with an unpronounceable name because there isn´t a single place on earth where these sort of neighbourhoods don´t appear.

There isn´t really, some sort of eden because all societies that produce richness will also produce It´s inverse effect no matter how much one tries to sugar coat the situation. Now picture this -Image that very same slum, but every once in a while some little boy or girl will be offered a musical instrument. And with It the chance to learn to play It. And the cost of this will be nothing, zero, nada. Imagine that this little boy or girl will become so skillful with this musical instrument that he or she will have the chance to belong not to a gang but a musical band. And not just any musical band but a full symphony Orchestra. Imagine that this Orchestra will, travel around the world and this little boy or girl would get in touch with other cultures, languages and ways of life. Imagine windows of opportunities opening where before only despair, existed.

I know, It sounds too good to be true. But, some men (some few men) dared to make this supposed impossible dream come true. And they are José Antonio Abreu and Dudamel.

Together they are the leaders of the greatest GANG of young musicians that carry only hope, confidence, optimism and wonderful music as weapons to fight for a brighter and much happier future.

I raise my glass to all of them.