For children to flourish in
music — and in life — they need
passion and mentorship.
In Marin / FYI
“One big challenge now is finding space
to have the big ensemble concerts with more
than 85 kids each playing an orchestral instru-
ment,” Kramer says. “We continue to outgrow
our rehearsal and concert spaces as we grow as
a program.”
For her, though, the music is a means to
another end. “The deeper purpose for ELM — and
something I care about the most — is to give our
children choices in their lives,” she says. “That’s
what it comes down to.” ELM also provides kids
with “the chance to be excellent. They might not
be natural musicians, but in ELM they experi-
ence success. They know that if they work hard
then they can be successful.”
Kramer recognizes that most of the kids
are not going to be professional musicians
(although several have already performed at a
national level). ELM must be about “more than
the music,” she says. “They say El Sistema is
primarily a social program and not a music pro-
gram, a social program that uses music. I mostly
believe that that’s what ELM is, too: something
that produces social, emotional, psychologi-
cal and intellectual benefits and the creation of
community through music.”
A key element of the ELM community is the
parents, who invest themselves in the program
by cooking for the students, raising money and
learning alongside their children about music.
A parent ukulele ensemble now performs with
the children.
“The parent involvement means everything,”
Kramer says. “One of the most important pre-
dictors of kids’ success is parents’ engagement
in their lives. You can imagine with immigrant
families how hard it can be sometimes — when
kids are speaking a different language and are
part of a different culture — for parents to stay
engaged. ELM, I think, is an amazing way for
parents to be engaged.”
In a video on ELM’s website, several parents
talk about what ELM means to them and their
families. Rosa, a mother from Mexico City whose
daughter plays the cello, says she and other par-
ents have formed their own community. “We
spend time together and support each other,” she
says. “We have someone to rely on in case there
is a need that is outside of the music program. If
