“Today the orchestra means for world, the only way that music can touch human souls, and change the individual. To transform all those feelings and our future, it is possible through music. Which art could do it better. That is what the orchestra means to our country…salvation and transformation”

Tocar y Luchar, directed by Alberto Alvero, 48:52-49:20

                Edicson Ruíz, the man who said this used to play the viola but switched to the cello. Music saved Edicson's life. From the humblest of Venezuelan roots, a country chock full of problem, he was able to rise above his circumstance and land the seat of the youngest member of the Berlin Philharmonic. Bringing honor, pride, and hope to himself but also to the people of his home city. He is living proof of the saving and transformative power of music.

In the 1999 movie based on a true story, Music of the Heart, Meryl Streep plays the role of Roberta Guaspari, a violin teacher who moves from a quiet middle class neighborhood to the middle of Harlem in the wake of her recent divorce. She gets a job teaching inner city elementary school children to play the violin, a frustrating task that was mentally, emotionally, and labor intensive. She faces many obstacles including racism, poverty, and ignorance, but was able to overcome them all and change the lives of her students. Ultimately she saved the futures of many of them. They broke free of social norms and expectations for inner city children and were able to fulfill their potentials and pursue the life their parents could only dream of for them.

Music speaks a language that everyone in the world can understand, regardless of social status, race, or income level. It can accomplish things that money, violence, or handouts would be hard pressed to accomplish. Music has the power to change the course of people’s lives; and as their lives are changed, the course of history is changed.

                                                       Trailer to Music of the Heart