Ten years ago, Moncton was the first city in the province to launch a program called Sistema.
Moncton Centre Director Jonathan Astley says it has grown a lot since 2009, “It had 50 students, in one classroom with one teacher. Ten years later, just in Moncton alone, we have over 250 kids and a teaching staff of 18 artists. Across the province of New Brunswick there are over 1200 students who do this after school.”
Sistema gives kids who don’t have the chance to study music, the opportunity to do so. Astley adds when they are given that opportunity, their talent and all of the skills they have start to show and blossom in amazing ways.
Astley says they have four students who started in the program ten years ago, who are now graduating high school and heading off to universities across Canada to study in a music program.
“One student is a trombone player and she is going to the University of Toronto on a scholarship to be a trombone performer.”
Sistema will wrap up its season tonight, at the Moncton Wesleyan.
