Paterson Music Project Founding Teacher and Former Director Elizabeth Moulthrop
Q & A with Elizabeth Moulthrop, Executive Director of El Sistema USA
Q: You began your own non-profit in Peru when you were a college student. What was the mission and name of this non-profit and what motivated and inspired you to do this?
A: The nonprofit is called Notes for Change, Inc. The mission was to use music as a vehicle for social impact for children. Through Notes for Change, I ran the Pisco Music Program in Pisco, Peru for three consecutive summers. I was inspired to begin this project because I had visited Peru with my church to provide aid in the wake of a devastating earthquake in 2008 and found my violin to be a relevant tool on the trip. I returned many times to specifically teach music and the project grew from there.
Q: Your mom helped you start a 501-c3. How did she help you to do this?
A: She is an accountant and helped me navigate what forms I had to file to incorporate and to get our EIN.
Q: Who encouraged you to begin an El Sistema program in Paterson, NJ? Who was on your team and how did you convince them to join you?
A: At the time, the Artistic Director of the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), a program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, was Jeffrey Grogan. He had the vision of starting an El Sistema program under the same umbrella. Wharton had been in touch with the Dodge Foundation and secured funding to begin a program in Paterson, which was a community with great need and little public arts funding. Music and arts are state mandated in NJ, but 21,000 students in 2011 didn’t have music or art classes in their schools across the state. 14,000 of those students (or two thirds) were concentrated in Paterson. The city had severe budget cuts, which caused them to remove the majority of the art and music teacher positions. Therefore, a program like Paterson Music Project could provide a much-needed service. Jeff Grogan hired me, Terrence Thornhill, and Shanna Lin to begin the program in January 2013. Terrence, Shanna, and I were all roommates at the time. Terrence and I met in high school and played in orchestra together there. Shanna and I were college roommates and played in a string quartet together. There was very little convincing – we were all excited and energized by the project.
Q: Your original team (your roommates from college) is now leading the Paterson Music Project. Can you briefly share how this happened and what your roles were in the beginning?
A: I was the program coordinator initially and taught violin. Shanna taught viola. Terrence taught cello. Over the years the roles grew and I became the Director full time. Shanna also became full time and eventually we divided the leadership roles between administration and education. I did more budgets, partnership building, and fundraising. Shanna focused on programming, curriculum, and teacher development.
Q: What makes this program successful and how does it make a difference in the lives of the children it serves?
A: The program had several ingredients that made it so successful. First, the leadership was incredibly dedicated, and we gave our hours and energy above and beyond what was asked of us because we enjoyed it so much. We were green and made a lot of mistakes but were eager to learn and evolve. Between Terrence, Shanna, and me – our skills were complimentary. Terrence has an ability to connect with kids and foster intrinsic motivation in his students. Shanna is a detail-oriented teacher and leader. The parents and students were also a big factor. There was lots of interest in this program and many of the families demonstrated a strong commitment to the program year after year. Ultimately, it was the relationships between the staff and families that has made the program so strong. Finally, we were successful on a large scale because early on we were able to partner with the Paterson public schools who provided a significant percentage of the funding required to run the program, which allowed us to grow in numbers and quality.
Q: Paterson Music Project was established over a decade ago and then became part of Wharton Arts. When and why did this happen and how has the program grown and strengthened since then?
A: Paterson Music Project was established in 2013 after NJYS and Wharton Music Center (now Wharton Arts) had merged. It was always part of the organization, but the name of the organization was not yet Wharton Arts.
Q: El Sistema first began in Venezuela. Were you aware of this program when you started your non-profit in Peru?
A: Yes, I had watched a documentary about El Sistema around the same time I went to Peru for the first time. I was also aware of the Abreu Fellowship through the New England Conservatory which was a program that developed leaders to establish El Sistema programs in the Unites States.
Q: Paterson Music Program has many partnerships and ties to the community? How did you and your team make this happen?
A: Our biggest partnership is with the Paterson Public Schools, which we were able to develop through the staff at the Community Charter School of Paterson, where the program had started, and they connected us with School Board members and district leadership. We demonstrated the success of the model at CCSP and secured funding in our second year to open a site at Public School 1. From there, it grew. The students performed frequently in public at events, so people began to know who we were. We performed at events for the Rotary Club, Police Benevolent Society, school board meetings, ribbon cuttings, festivals, nonprofit galas…you name it!
Q: How did you forge an alliance with the Mayor of Paterson, and other community leaders in Paterson? Why are these relationships critical to the success of any community program?
A: These connections are critical because the program belongs to the community of Paterson, which includes the people who run and make up the city—the mayor, the school board, the parents, the business owners, the nonprofits, etc. We are part of a tapestry of advocates for children and families. It’s crucial to be connected to the life of the city and to see how we can contribute.
Q: How many El Sistema programs are there in NJ alone? How many are in the U.S. and in the world?
A: There are 5 programs in NJ (Keys to Success, United Children’s Music Project, Paterson Music Project, Trenton Music Makers, and Sister Cities Voices). El Sistema USA has 140 members across the US and Canada. There are more programs though—not all are members. I don’t know how many in the world.
Q: You are now the Executive Director of all the El Sistema Projects in the U.S. This is incredibly impressive and a testament to all the work you did while you were Director of the Paterson Music Project. What are your most important goals, dreams, and hopes for the organization and all the El Sistema programs throughout the Unites States?
A: I hope that El Sistema programs continue to thrive and grow. This requires the programs to have sustainable funding and support. I believe that the El Sistema model in the US is a deeply impactful model. This includes accessible/affordable programming, deep investment in students over time through high quality instruction, and community formation through frequent ensemble instruction. Our programs have been on the forefront of thinking about equitable programming, youth voice, and culturally relevant pedagogy for over a decade. I’d like to see those lessons learned and best practices developed to be shared among our programs and with the larger music education world. I also hope to see the first waves of graduates from these programs going into careers both in and out of the music field. The students who graduate from El Sistema programs have had unique experiences, having been in their programs for sometimes a decade or more, they had the same mentors and peers in music for years, performed frequently, traveled because of music, and had leadership roles from a young age. It is exciting to see the mark they will leave on our field and the world. My dream is that we pass the baton to the alumni of these programs to see where they want to take it.