About Us
OUR MISSION
Sistema Toronto is an intensive social program transforming the lives of children through ensemble-based music.
OUR VISION
Through the global language of music children grow to realize their full potential as engaged and responsible citizens.
Sistema Toronto is a free after-school music and social development program for children living in underserved communities with the end goal of transformative social action. Students in our core program learn together for 10 hours each week where they play in orchestras, sing in choirs, and beat drums in drum ensembles. We build stronger communities by enabling children from marginalized neighbourhoods to grow and thrive as engaged citizens and future leaders.
At Sistema Toronto, donor support is critical. Your investment allows Sistema Toronto students to play real instruments, receive instruction with professional musicians, eat a healthy snack every day, and benefit from a community of support.
Our Communities
Sistema Toronto proudly serves five priority neighbourhoods across Toronto. We operate in communities with some of the city’s highest child poverty rates, ensuring we impact children and families who most need our support.
Parkdale
Lambton Park
East Scarborough
Jane Finch at Yorkwoods
Jane Finch at Africentric/
Sheppard
Households that earn less than $50,000 / year
40%
47%
43%
47%
67%
Children living in poverty in the entire ward
16.8%
38%
47.4%
37.8%
23%
Children living in poverty in the ward’s poorest areas
43.5%
55%
59.2%
55.2%
41%
Single-parent households
17%
32%
26%
35%
26%
Percentage of adults with post-secondary education
69%
42%
50%
38%
63%
Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour
26%
55%
71%
74%
55%
Statistics based on information obtained from:
1. City of Toronto. (2016). Ward Profiles. Retrieved from https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/neighbourhoods-communities/ward-profiles/
2. Social Planning Toronto, Wilson, B., Maddox, R., Polanyi, M., Kerr, M., Ekra, M., & Khanna, A. (2018). 2018 Toronto Child & Family Poverty Report: Municipal Election Edition. Retrieved from https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/socialplanningtoronto/pages/2079/attachments/original/1538147211/2018_Child_Family_Poverty_Report_Municipal_Election_Edition.pdf?1538147211
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge the land our program is held on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto (T’karonto) is covered by Tready 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
“Teach children the beauty of music and music will teach them the beauty of life.”
History
Founded in 2011 by businessman and community activist Robert Eisenberg, Sistema Toronto’s core objective is to provide musical, social and intellectual opportunities that children in vulnerable communities can seldom access, with the end goal of inspiring transformative social action.
Our program is modelled after the Venezuela-based El Sistema movement, founded in 1975 by the late Dr. José Antonio Abreu. The creation of Sistema Toronto was directly inspired by Dr. Abreu’s visit to Toronto to accept the Glenn Gould Prize and the performance by the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra at the Rogers Centre marking the occasion. The success of El Sistema has inspired hundreds of similar, independent programs around the world.
Sistema Toronto opened its first centre at Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School in September of 2011, followed by the opening of our second centre at Yorkwoods Public School in Jane/Finch in September 2013, our third centre at St. Martin des Porres Catholic School in East Scarborough in September 2015, and our fourth centre at Lambton Park Community School in 2022.
Sistema Toronto’s program has grown from serving 57 children annually in one neighbourhood, to over 600 children across five of Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods. Our program builds stronger communities by transforming lives of children from marginalized neighbourhoods, enabling them to overcome poverty, grow and thrive as engaged citizens and future leaders of their communities.
The program is offered at no charge – all that is required is enthusiasm and the child’s agreement to play in a Sistema Toronto orchestra. Each child is given an instrument as soon as they are able to hold it. Lessons are in groups, and instruction is offered four days a week for a total of 10 hours. By playing in this intensive environment, our children quickly learn the importance of studying and playing music together as a team. Peer support and mentorship are fundamental to the Sistema Toronto spirit, and we encourage our older students to take leadership roles in teaching the beginner students.
Sistema Toronto has also developed a robust nutrition program, providing each student with a free healthy snack each day to help fight food insecurity. One in five of households in Toronto experience food insecurity, and kids that come from food insecure households are more likely to experience poor mental and physical health, greater risk of chronic disease, and other long-term adverse health impacts. It also negatively impacts their academic and social performance. We believe that sharing a snack together is one of the best ways to build community and break down communication barriers between children and adults.
Sistema Toronto is first and foremost a social development program, using ensemble-based music education to transform the lives of children. Students learn strings (violin, viola, cello, or double bass), winds (clarinet or trumpet), percussion, choir, and Music & Movement while developing important life skills like problem solving, empathy, and self-advocacy.