El Sistema by Christine Witkowski

Author:Christine Witkowski [Witkowski, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78323-771-5
Publisher: Music Sales Limited
Published: 2015-07-19T16:00:00+00:00

A gang member making a “hit up,” (demanding that the targeted youth reveal his/her gang affiliation) is “representing” for his “hood” as a gang member and assuming that the young person he is speaking with is also a gang member. If the youngster being questioned gives the “wrong answer,” he is likely to suffer serious bodily harm at the hands of the questioner. If the youngster claims the wrong gang, he gets hurt. If he says “I don’t bang” he is telling the questioner that no one “has his back” and becomes vulnerable. Further, if the young man being questioned disavows his gang and his pals hear of it, he is in equally serious danger.

Youths aged fifteen to twenty-five are the usual targets for a “hit up.” Participants in the confrontation are usually the same gender. Kids wear the clothing and colors associated with the gang they belong to or have affiliation with. For instance, a blue New York Yankees cap in a Blood Gang-dominated area can elicit a challenge as to affiliation. The initiators of the “hit up” typically approach the intended target with a specific gait or walk indicated by “mobbing strides” – long lunging steps on the approach.

Young people in urban poverty face this type of challenge almost daily, along with other normal adolescent pressures. Children in an El Sistema núcleo may need to consider the routes they walk to and from home based on safety and security. Adolescence is a difficult life period for any child. Those having to endure efforts at being recruited into dangerous gangs suffer additional strain. Some can withstand the storm … others maybe not. Developmental psychologist Erik Erikson divided the personalities of developing youngsters into two groups he called “role diffusion” or “ego identity.” The ego identity group has a strong sense of self-worth and a very clear idea about what they believe in terms of right and wrong. Young people in the “role diffusion” group are characterized by “confusion” about who they are and what they and life are all about. They have a low sense of focus and scattered interests, and a greater susceptibility to gang activities. “We band of brothers” type thinking takes hold. Walking tall down the street in the cool evening air gives youngsters a sense of collective efficacy and energy. Together, they are something special, something to be reckoned with. They can no longer be ignored. It’s a heady power.

El Sistema programs offer kids a performance high and a sense of belonging to a community of musicians that can rival the attraction of the gang. Luckily, most of the youngsters attracted to the El Sistema-styled music programs fall into the ego identity group – a “blessed” group, who have a sustained sense of purpose and often know early on what they aspire to achieve. Students of both types enrolled in an El Sistema program gain focused discipline with daily and long-term goal setting through music learning. Further, the orchestra offers a sense of belonging where every musician is valued and respected.

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