We started the year with a very special guest in Music Education, Mr. Samuel Marchan, who shared personal insights on El Sistema and its history as well as teaching approaches that he uses that are based on the El Sistema model.  

Originally from Venezuela, Samuel Marchan holds a Bachelors Degree in Viola Performance from the Juilliard School and a Masters Degree in Music Performance from New York University.  Sam is the founder and viola member of the Carpentier String Quartet, AXIS Guitar Quintet, and Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in NY.  

He maintains two El Sistema-inspired organizations in the New York tri-state area. Union City Music Project, the premier El Sistema-modeled program in New Jersey, was nationally featured on a PBS/Annenberg Foundation Documentary, The Power of Music: Teaching Inspired by El Sistema, and was honored by the Heroes of the Community Foundation for their work in the Latino community using music as a social integrator by the Office of the New Jersey’s First Lady.  Also, East River Children and Youth Orchestras in Chinatown, NY was created to prepare young talent for the performing arts high schools of New York City.  In addition, Marchan is an active teacher trainer for important El Sistema-inspired programs such as UpBeat, El Sistema Lehigh Valley, and El Sistema, which are located in New York, Pennsylvania, and Venezuela, respectively. 

His work has been featured on Univision, 41 Channel, Telemundo, El Pitazo, and The Voice of America.  He has been awarded the King/Chavez/Parks Professorship Award from the University of Michigan and the El Sistema Founding Member Medal from El Sistema. 

During his two-day residency at Stetson, Mr. Marchan presented the history of El Sistema in Music Education classes and practical applications of the El Sistema approach in an extended Music Education Professional Development (MEPD) hour.  He actively engaged with students and faculty.  Mr. Marchan’s residency was recommended by Dr. Jesús Alfonzo, Stetson Professor of Viola, who is a founding member of the El Sistema, the Venezuelan National System of Youth Orchestras.