Tuning in to a Better Life

At the time musician and social innovator Juan Guillermo Ocampo started the Amadeus Foundation in Medellin Columbia, the city was considered one of the most violent in the world. Children from an early age were faced with joining drug trafficking gangs, becoming thieves, or hiring themselves out as killers to the drug mafias.

After visiting the tombs of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, Germany, Ocampo was inspired to help teach the kids of Medellin to use music as a defense against the forces of crime. In 1996, he began a network of music schools in the depressed barrios of the city. The resulting Amadeus Foundation is a social initiative where children are encouraged to sing and play instruments and generally appreciate classical music. The effect it's had on the lives of the children has been profound.

John Fredy Norena who is also one of the founders of the Amadeus foundation, told the Guardian Weekly, "Kids in local gangs leave our kids alone. Amadeus students have gained themselves a certain kudos and respect. They don't pose a threat to any of the gangs, and they're not in competition with them, so they're left alone. Some of them are even allowed to cross over gang territory lines."

The foundation helps 4,000 children from the ages of five to 23 and 1,400 of them have been selected for two orchestras and a choir. It's supported by the local mayor as well as private donors and businesses. They work in 27 marginalized neighborhoods across Medellin offering high-quality music education run by dedicated teachers who are often picked from top conservatories.

Says Norena, "Our aim is our slogan: Making people better human beings.

One alumnus, Ewiter Agudelo admitted to IPS, "If the schools hadn't been there, I'd be in jail for robbery, murder or drug trafficking. I come from a very poor background, we were hungry, we had no opportunities. I was the oldest of three brothers and my father had abandoned us. Thanks to them, I was able to survive, learn music and support my family."

Members of the network have performed for dignitaries around the world, in Mexico City, New York and Washington as well as a concert for the late Pope John Paul ll in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.

Now that's a gang we wouldn't mind hanging with.

Photo Courtesy Ricardo Gonzalez E.