Blackball Music - Inspiring Youth through Sound

Intrigued by the concept of a "system" which lifts young people out of poverty with music, John Copping began observing El Sistema facilities firsthand, a process which took him halfway around the world. The result is Blackball a fully electronic version of the El Sistema nucleo.

Since July of 2015, this unusual music education project has given young people in mixed-income Toronto communities hands-on access to synthesis, beat programming and sampling. In February of 2016, in cooperation with the Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Clubs, young Blackball participants performed live and un-automated before their peers and family members.

To date, some 70 youth and children have taken part in the Blackball project. And there are more sites, more clients and more awe-inspiring electronic sounds yet to come.