---

Our Story

---

El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley is an organization committed to transforming the lives of our youth and communities through the inspiration, discipline, and performance of ensemble music and works with local school districts and foundations to offer a tuition-free after-school program that operates during the school year and the summer. Our staff offers music education to students at Gault, Radcliff, Mintie White, Valencia, MacQuiddy elementary schools and Duncan Holbert pre-school. El Sistema is also starting a Youth Symphony in Watsonville that will meet weekly at E.A Hall Middle School.

In addition to providing musical training and performing regularly throughout the community, El Sistema teaches responsibility, cooperation, empathy and dedication. Surveys have shown that El Sistema students benefit from improved study habits, improved grades and improved self-esteem and confidence.

Donate

---

Serving Santa Cruz County
at Gault, Radcliff, Mintie White, Valencia, MacQuiddy elementary schools and Duncan Holbert Preschool

---

Impacting Children's Lives

---

El Sistema and COVID19:

Since the school closure on March 13 the Sistema team was able to stay in touch with students and continue teaching music remotely thanks to the local school districts who provided chromebooks and hotspots to all students. See below some samples of what we have been doing:

• Play/sing along video
• Play along video
• music edition of science Friday
• Covid 19 messaging (handwashing song)
• video honoring El Sistema students at Gault Elementary School
• El Sistema was selected out of thousands of entries to present a workshop on student leadership at the International Society of Music Education in Helsinki in August 2020, an in person event that ended up being canceled because of COVID-19 but that is still taking place online and will be connecting virtually with music instructors from around the world.

 El Sistema is now back in person in all our sites

Board Meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of August, October, January, March and June.

---

Our Sponsors

---

---