week 7

“An orchestra is a community where the essential and exclusive feature is that it is the only community that comes together with the fundamental objective of agreeing with itself”

-José Antonio Abreu, “Tocar y Luchar”

The 2007 documentary film Tocar y Luchar illustrates the effect of the Children’s choirs and orchestras in Venezuela. As a result of playing in the orchestra, many Venezuelan children learn how to participate in a community—they work collectively to achieve a common goal. The orchestra has many other positive effects on the lives of the children whichare illustrated by the film. They include: confidence, perseverance and dedication among others. Although Venezuela is a poor nation, the music of these Children’s groups seems to bring richness to the country. Music helps the children overcome poverty, despair, and discouragement.

This concept demonstrated by Tocar and Luchar reminded me of the scene in the movie Harry Potter and the Scorer’s Stone where Harry, Ron and Hermione lull Fluffy to sleep by playing the music of a harp. The three friends discovered that Fluffy was guarding trap door which was the only possible way to access the stone. Fluffy is a vicious, mutant three-headed dog, and Harry and his friends can not seem to find a way to tame him enough to reach the trap door safely. However, they ultimately discover a way to put Fluffy to sleep. The sound of a harp playing lulls him enough for the three adventurers to sneak past him and enter through the trap door.

         In both Tocar and Luchar and Harry Potter music seems to have a powerful effect over dangerous, and gives people the ability to accomplish tasks that they never would have been able to. Music is empowering. It provides people with confidence and skills that translate into many other aspects of their lives. The directors of both of these movies chose to highlight music as a way of overcoming adversity. These films show their audiences that music has the power to give people hope. It enables them to overcome trials. Music is a universal part of the human experience. It is evident in virtually ever nation and culture around the world. Perhaps these films offer an explanation as to why--they argue that it is because music gives people the hope necessary to overcome adversity.