CASO DE ESTUDIO

Sonidos de la Tierra: Challenges in duplicating a social business model

In April of 2014, the World Economic Forum (WEF) for Latin America was taking place in Panama City. At the Forum, master director, composer and musical researcher, Luis Szarán, was granted the annual Social Entrepreneur Award. The maximum worldwide distinction in its class, he received the award for his vision and ten years of effort creating the organization, Sonidos de la Tierra (Sounds of the Earth). With initial support from the AVINA Foundation, Sonidos de la Tierra had aimed to create orchestras for children and young people in communities with limited resources in central Paraguay since 2002. Its goal was to reduce poverty and promoting citizenship, social transformation and community integration1. For Luis, music was a powerful weapon in the battle against poverty and discrimination. His philosophy was that, from the moment a boy or girl holds a musical instrument in their hands for the first time, they are a member of an orchestra. By the same token, the orchestra is considered a “school of life.”2 The WEF was an event that aimed to identify and highlight the work of social leaders around the world. By recognizing highly-skilled entrepreneurs, the WEF created opportunities for organizations to access typically inaccessible networks, and endeavored for entrepreneurs to mobilize the resources needed to increase the impact of their programs and strengthen their results. Luis hoped to take advantage of the opportunity to increase the impact of Sonidos de la Tierra in Paraguay and throughout the region. One alternative was to replicate his social business model. He’s already had experience with direct and indirect replications in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Uruguay. In each country, the models had later become autonomous groups. Sonidos de la Tierra held an exchange program (seminars and national and international festivals) with these organizations. For example, during the Sonidos de la Tierra National Seminar and Orchestra Festival held in Pilar, Ñeembucú, in February 2014, Luis hosted Melissa McDonald, who was interested in replicating the Sonidos de la Tierra model in Bolivia. Another alternative was to widen the scope of Sonidos de la Tierra through the consolidation of the Sonidos de la Tierra network, to increase the number of communities benefitted in Paraguay. To reach more communities, the support of 1 2

Philharmonic Society of Asunción. http://sfa.org.py. April 2014. Szarán, Luis. “¿Por qué la música es más poderosa de lo que pensamos?” World Economic Forum, March 2014.

itinerant professors and investment in additional instruments were key. Luis knew he must find a way to attract more professors to the program and he asked himself “What changes needed to be made to Sonidos de la Tierra’s business model in order to broaden its reach in Paraguay?” Financial resources were limited. Luis would have to choose an alternative that allowed Sonidos de la Tierra to maximize the impact of its program. He would have to choose between replicating the organization’s model in another country or improving its business model to increase the number of communities that the program benefitted in Paraguay (see Annex 1). The advent of an idea Luis was born in Encarnación, Paraguay, on September 24, 1953. In childhood, he discovered he had a deep love for music. Luis’ family did not approve of a musical career; at that time it was thought it would lead to an “undisciplined” life. With the help of friends and neighbors, however, the Maestro, as he came to be called, fought to progress in his career. At just 18 years of age, he debuted as orchestra director and composer. In 1975, he was awarded a scholarship by the Italian government and studied orchestra conduction at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. He cultivated his career through music study and research, and was able to achieve artistic success. In 1978, he started directing the Asunción Symphonic Orchestra (OSCA) and, in 1990, was named chief conductor. His prolific and outstanding musical career allowed him to gain fame internationally, as well as to win world-class awards and recognitions. By the year 2014, he had directed more than 1500 concerts around the world, 400 of them in Europe.3 His career had allowed him to achieve a high degree of personal and professional fulfillment. He had achieved his dreams: bringing culture to small, rural towns through his music, meeting people from all over the world and receiving significant economic compensation. One day, he decided it was time to pay it forward, and he set a new goal for himself: to use his music to help society. After the fall of the Stroessner dictatorship, Paraguay launched a process of democratic strengthening, and at that time created the National Youth Secretariat (SNJ). In the early 21st century, the then viceminister of the Secretariat, a friend of Luis, showed him the results of the annual youth survey. At that time, 65% of Paraguay’s population was under 30 years of age. Ninety two percent of this group dreamed of becoming rich, whatever way they could. The remaining 8% was willing to work hard, but the group didn’t include philosophers, artists, poets, scientists or dreamers. To Luis, these results were disheartening. At the same time, another friend of Luis, who was an engineer, was completing the construction of a road in the Paraguayan Chaco, close to an indigenous community. The engineer had decided to help them with money they had saved in the project’s 3

Ibid.

budget. The community did not have safe drinking water, schools or hospitals. The engineer asked the community chief to speak with the rest of the town and propose a project in which he could invest the funds. The response was surprising: the community requested that money be invested in musical instruments. The engineer asked, “Why not schools?” The community responded that each person in the community was its children’s “school.” Surprised, he asked, “Why don’t you want a hospital?” The community responded that people lived healthy lives, and had no need for a hospital. Music was a fundamental part of this community’s life. At nights, people gathered to sing, and this inspired them to find solutions to any problems that arose. This story impacted Luis greatly. It was a revelation that would later lead him to build one of the most important projects of his lifetime. Music had so much power it could be used as a tool for social transformation. This is how the idea for Sonidos de la Tierra was born. Growth of Sonidos de la Tierra Phase I. The assistants (2002-2005) Sonidos de la Tierra was formally created in 2002 as a program that integrated young people and created social transformation through music. Its purpose was to combat youth violence by taking advantage of free time, and foster self-esteem and democratic attitudes of young people4 (see Annex 2). Luis was convinced that music had the strength to generate societal change. He wished to create an initiative that systematically aimed to reach sustainable objectives over time. He had a revolutionary idea: to create an organization with a sustainable structure, utilizing minimum resources. In other words, he wanted to do more with less. Seed funding for the project was granted by AVINA, a foundation created in Latin America in 1994 by Swiss businessman Stephan Schmidheiny. AVINA’s objective was to support entrepreneurial initiatives that helped create a systematic shift toward sustainable development5. Luis’s initial wish, through his contact with AVINA, was to establish a partnership through which he could focus all of his energy on creativity and fieldwork, maintaining direct contact with the people and their reality and leaving the administrative and management work to a qualified institution. Through AVINA’s representatives, Tierranuestra was recommended as one of the best models regarding management, efficiency and transparency. Luis entrusted Tierranuestra with the administration and accounting of AVINA’s funds for the following three years.

4 5

Sonidos de la Tierra. ¿Quiénes somos? Official website: http://www.sonidosdelatierra.org.py. 2014. Avina Foundation, “About Avina”. Official website: http://www.avina.net/esp/. 2014.

By 2005, the project had grown substantially. AVINA decided to nominate Luis for the annual social entrepreneurs’ awards, hosted by the Skoll Foundation. Founded in 1999, the foundation’s mission was to drive large scale change through investment in, association with and the celebration of social entrepreneurs and innovative people who helped solve the problems that most affect the world.6 Of the 400 people nominated around the world, Luis was selected as one of the top 13 social entrepreneurs of the year. Sonidos de la Tierra then received the largest donation since its inception. Initially, the funds were granted over a period of three years; however, due to the project’s success, the period was later extended to seven years.7 Phase II. Merger with Tierranuestra (2005-2008) In 2005, Luis received the Skoll Award in Social Entrepreneurship, which was granted on the condition of a series of commitments. The most important was to broaden the reach of Sonidos de la Tierra. The program’s accelerated growth, expansion to other territories and the arrival of funds from diverse sources led to the need for greater institutional support. Consequently, Sonidos de la Tierra became a part of Tierranuestra, without loss of identity. Luisa Abbate, better known as Lucha, was director of Tierranuestra. Luis and Lucha had known each other for a long time. When they spoke about the idea with the Skoll Foundation, they realized they were leading social transformation projects with a shared mission. Sonidos de la Tierra’s work was based on its enormous capacity for adhesion and expansion through music. Tierranuestra had tremendous capacity to enable the “putting down of roots” as well as to provide integrated development of peoples. Tierranuestra executed educational processes that promoted reflection, action and committment. Tierranuestra’s significant institutional experience also led it to embark upon joint projects with several groups and communities. Phase III. Other awards and achievements (2008-2014) In 2008, the HSBC Foundation rated Sonidos de la Tierra as the second best social responsibility project in the world. In May 2013, UNESCO, through the Regional Observatory for Social Responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean (ORSALC), awarded Sonidos de la Tierra with the Ojo de Plata recognition for best social responsibility initiative in the region in five categories: patrimony, citizenship, education, equity and the environment. In June 2013, the Cultural Center of the Republic (or El Cabildo) granted the Tierranuestra Foundation and Sonidos de la Tierra the Medal for Innovation, Creativity and Scientific Investigation. Paraguay’s Chamber of Senators awarded this prize to people whose work and commitment contributed to society and excelled in its area or carried out action to benefit citizenry and country.8 In October 2013, Sonidos de la Tierra united 420 harpists for the VII World Harp Festival in Paraguay, in order to achieve the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest harp 6

Skoll Foundation “About Skoll Foundation”. Official website: http://www.skollfoundation.org Fundraising Strategies. Sounds of the Earth. Paraguay, 2012. 8 Sonidos de la Tierra. El programa. Official website: http://www.sonidosdelatierra.org.py. 2014. 7

ensemble. A year later, the group also won the Guinness World Record as the “Brand that Beat all Records for the Year” at the Media LatAm Festival in Miami, a distinction that earned them the best Guinness World Record in Latin America. In February 2014, the project had achieved great success. The methodology used by the Conservatory on Wheels had allowed more than 14,000 children and young people of limited resources in 205 Paraguayan communities direct access to musical education.9 Two hundred music students had received scholarships. Furthermore, the students from Sonidos de la Tierra had obtained 30% of the spots available in Paraguay’s four professional orchestras. In terms of sustainability, just 12% of the budget was covered by donations; the remaining 88% was covered by the capacity to self-manage that had developed in the communities. In 2013, the beneficiaries of the program had generated approximately USD $9.000.000, according to Tierranuestra’s calculations. Sonidos de la Tierra’s social business model Mission The mission of Sonidos de la Tierra was to promote the cultural, social and economic development of low-income children and young people, cultivate good civil practices and eradicate poverty. Sonidos de la Tierra aimed to identify communities with the potential to achieve this mission. Luis explained: “The moment I enter a community, I can see whether or not the people are prepared for change and would want to work with us, or if it’s a community that lacks energy and has no desire to improve its quality of life. We can only work with communities that want to improve and are prepared to carry out changes.” Aside from seeking out communities that were prepared for change, it was also important to work with groups that had enough children and young people to create music schools. These schools provided a venue for Sonidos de la Tierra to put its values into practice. Parents were then approached to create “philharmonic societies”— community organizations that aimed to guarantee the sustainability and continuous participation of young people in the school, the orchestra and music-related events. Initially, Sonidos de la Tierra was in charge of purchasing instruments, training parents and providing teachers for the program. Parent organizations conducted fundraising activities to keep the orchestras and music schools running. Community orchestras Sonidos de la Tierra’s model was unique. The children, young people and their parents, beyond being beneficiaries of the program, were also fundamental to achieving its 9

Ibid.

goals. They worked hard to learn to work as a disciplined team. Each orchestra represented its city in periodic festivals organized by Sonidos de la Tierra. Belonging to an orchestra had become a source of pride for the kids, their parents and neighbors. The philharmonic societies organized ventures to finance the operation of the music schools and the attendance of children and young people to various events. Thus, Sonidos de la Tierra’s dependence on donations was relatively low. In several towns, parent organizations contributed to the project beyond what they were asked to. A few communities had been donated parcels of land and bricks from their local governments, which the parents used to build a classroom. Fuerte Olimpo, located very far from the capital city, was exemplary. It had no Internet, drinking water or electricity. Despite its circumstances, however, in just two years its orchestra, Panaca, had become one of the best in the country. Sonidos de la Tierra attributed the orchestra’s success to the community’s love of music. By 2014, they were building a theater and every child in the community was attending the school. Orchestra professors in the communities Initially, professional orchestra musicians helped Luis to launch the music schools. Over the years, however, some of the best students became professors themselves. Some had become members of national symphony orchestras. For the musicians, teaching for the Sonidos de la Tierra network implied significant effort. A career in music demanded constant training and tremendous discipline. On the other hand, music was a means to a more altruistic end at Sonidos de la Tierra. Musical excellence was not paramount, so professors chose to sacrifice their expectations of excellence in order to create orchestras that were open to everyone. The time they dedicated to Sonidos de la Tierra was time taken away from their own careers. Many decided to participate simply based on the gratitude and admiration they felt towards Luis and the project. Willian Aguayo was a student-turned-professor. His participation in Sonidos de la Tierra had begun in one of the orchestras. He had great talent, and with the support of Luis, was able to launch a career as a professional musician. In 2014, Willian was dividing his time between directing one of the most well-known orchestras in Paraguay, and his work with Sonidos de la Tierra. With the latter, he directed three orchestras and coordinated the logistics for the organization’s larger events. The time Willian dedicated to Sonidos de la Tierra took time away from perfecting his musical technique. Nevertheless, following Luis’s example, he wanted to give back to society and pay forward the help that he had been given. He explains, “Master Szarán was my inspiration for all of this, and is one of my main guides. He has opened many doors that have allowed me to work in conservatories, and he invited me to direct a professional orchestra. He is an inspiration.” In late 2013, there were 98 itinerant professors working with the Conservatory on Wheels’ methodology. They traveled constantly to cover as many locations as possible.

Sonidos de la Tierra paid the professors PYG 60.000 an hour10 and covered their travel expenses—compensation that was standard for the market. It is estimated that 80% of professors had been students in the program (see Annex 4.) The pedagogical system The pedagogical system for the music education was inspired by the Suzuki method, adapted to each region’s context, ethnicity and social group. The raw material was local Paraguayan music, classical music and universal popular music. The Suzuki method was created in Japan in the seventies. With this methodology, the student learns by listening to and playing an instrument. It is based on the use of reallife experiences to teach music rapidly and to a large number of people. Students are not subjected to traditional study, but learn through games so that musical learning is pleasurable. Without realizing it, students became immersed in a disciplined regime that is born of musical enjoyment, rather than the obligation to study it. Sonidos de la Tierra was inspired by this methodology and adapted it to the context of Paraguay. The teaching system was designed to ensure that even if a person could only played one note they were already part of an orchestra. This helped create a sense of belonging, which was a cornerstone of developing students’ motivation and selfesteem. During class, reflexive activities were used so that students would learn tolerance and discipline through self-analysis, rather than speeches and lectures. Regional festivals The program provided next-level social integration through regional festivals. These generally lasted for three to five days, during which activities and seminars were organized. This provided opportunities for people from different areas of the country to participate, and generated significant multicultural interaction. For example, in the Chaco area, Brazilians, Mennonites and indigenous peoples (typically rivals in daily life) united to form an orchestra and play music together. These events were organized by cultural associations, with institutional support provided by Sonidos de la Tierra. They had become spaces for learning and growth, and represented the program’s clearest example of integration, self-management, organization and positive impact, evident in the attendance level and strong generation of human, economic and material resources. Scholarships for musical talents As the project moved forward in the communities, talented children and young people began to surface. In response, Sonidos de la Tierra created a scholarship program. Scholarship recipients would travel once a week to Asunción to study either at the university or with a private teacher at a conservatory. This part of the program had 10

In April 2014, the exchange rate was PYG 4.431 = USD $1.

become a cycle of “solidarity”; students received scholarships and, in turn, would return to teach music to others in the program, in their own or neighboring communities. Organization Sonidos de la Tierra had become an institutional program of the Tierranuestra Foundation—a private entity with which it shared goals. Tierranuestra provided legal, administrative and organizational backing. Sonidos de la Tierra was run by its associate assembly, council of directors, syndicate, executive management, SoE program management, administrative management and other staff members, divided into programs and projects. Luis served as general director and highest authority at Sonidos de la Tierra. His main role was to lead the program. He was also in charge of attracting resources, being accountable to donors, approving budgets and motivating the various groups that comprised the organization. The next level of the organizational chart was the SoE, an academic council that answered to Luis. The council was a team with academic goals, and served as consultative body and activity planner. The organization also had a management assistant and an administrative assistant. Sonidos de la Tierra had the following three functional areas: Institutional Relations Coordination. This was a key area for maintaining communication between donors, sponsors and institutions. Burt was in charge of case marketing, award nominations and scholarships, as well as the development of the Sonidos de la Tierra and H2O Orchestra brand. Social networks played an indispensable role in empowering the Sonidos de la Tierra network and the general public. Andrea Burt was in charge of this area. Academic Coordination. This area planned the calendar for academic sessions, worked with local coordinators and itinerant professors, and managed scholarship programs, festivals and seminars. The person responsible was Elio Fleitas. Production Coordination. This area was responsible for the logistics of all events held by Sonidos de la Tierra, and the production of seminars and festivals. Willian Aguayo, the director of the H2O Orchestra, was in charge of this area. Thanks to strategic institutional planning and the unwavering commitment of both Lucha and Luis, the challenging process of fusing together Tierranuestra and Sonidos de la Tierra was successfully accomplished. At first glance, the two organizations had very different origins. Tierranuestra was made up of businessmen and intellectuals, while Sonidos de la Tierra was the work of an artist. In 2014, however, after significant effort

and cooperation on behalf of their leaders, the fusion was complete. Tierranuestra had 20 employees that worked with Sonidos de la Tierra and its projects. For Sonidos de la Tierra, an important factor was to have clear rules. The team worked with all sectors of society, without committing to any political or religious vein. The collegiate leadership of Lucha and Luis, after consultation to the council of directors, and in conjunction with the coordinators of each area, made the most relevant decisions. On the other hand, the communities did not depend on the Sonidos de la Tierra team to make decisions. At this level, the work of local coordinators was important to motivate and inspire the orchestras and the parents. This independence between the different organizational levels generated confusion. The lack of a formal structure between orchestras, parent’s organizations and Sonidos de la Tierra did not allow for responsibility assignments in different situations. Andrea Burt commented that, for example, if there was an accident in the transfer of the orchestras to the events, it wasn’t clear who should be responsible for damages. As the project kept growing, this type of situations seemed more likely. Economic and non-economic resources

11

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Volunteers. The Sonidos de la Tierra model was primarily based on human resources and relationships. A clear example was the focal point role that Luis played in the organization. According to Burt, Institutional Relations Coordinator, “Sonidos de la Tierra depended solely on the interests of the people. If the communities wanted to progress, the project would work.” Exploiting Luis’s fame helped pique the interest of the people. It also helped that the students’ parents were receptive to the development of philharmonic societies. The same with the donors and their willingness to contribute to the project. When Sonidos de la Tierra started out, Luis was dedicating 10% of his time to it; by February 2014 he was dedicating 40%.

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Funding. Luis’s fame as orchestra director, his charisma, and his numerous friends across Europe opened doors to other donors. The largest donors included the National Parliament, The National Culture Fund (FONDEC), Itaipu Binacional, the Philharmonic Society of Asunción, the German, United States, French and Italian embassies, the Partners of the Americas organization (Paraguay-Kansas Chapter), the Cultural Board of Asunción’s City Hall, and more than 100 diverse companies, municipalities, governorships and sponsorships11 (see Annex 5).

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Community dynamic. Sonidos de la Tierra had succeeded in joining together groups of people who were otherwise segregated and even antagonistic towards each other. The formation of choirs and juvenile orchestras on a community, regional and national level had managed to transcend differences. A sense of

Fundraising Strategies. Sounds of the Earth. Paraguay, 2012.

belonging was generated between everyone involved: children, young people, parents, teachers, religious people, entrepreneurs and politicians. Cost structure The cost for operating Sonidos de la Tierra was roughly USD $500.000 per year. Its main expenses were staff salaries, scholarships and events such as seminars and festivals (see Annex 6). Time to make a decision After having been recognized during the World Economic Forum, Luis returned to Paraguay. During his flight, as he watched the sky, he felt certain that it was his responsibility to increase the impact of Sonidos de la Tierra. He knew that the program’s success was based on a combination of several factors— the most evident being his own leadership and charisma. He had inspired professors to sacrifice their own careers for a social purpose. The success of the project was measured by its results—not in the size of its organizational structure—, with the aim of fostering the project’s sustainability and financial autonomy. Luis also reflected on Lucha and Tierranuestra’s contribution. Their contributions had been key. They had been able to maintain clear game rules and transparency in terms of information and resource management. Another success factor had been community participation. The self-management of each team at a local level had departed from the logic of patronization, and had made the beneficiaries of the project agents of their own change.12 Luis asked himself, “How can I increase the impact of Sonidos de la Tierra?” Two solutions seemed the most viable: 1. Duplicate the model in another country. Luis wanted to take his model to Bolivia. The importance of his leadership in the successful development of Sonidos de la Tierra, however, would need to be taken into account. The director of the Choir and Orchestra System, Rubén Darío Suarez, was the proposed leader in Bolivia (see Annex 7). It also needed to be acknowledged, that, in Paraguay, the model had been successful, in part, due to the cultural and social connection to music. Luis asked himself if, in the Bolivian context, the project would gain the same strength (see Annex 8). Furthermore, it was important to define how many professors would be needed to launch the project, and how to attract them to the new program. Another question was whether the name “Sonidos de la Tierra” would be used, and what implications this choice would have.

12

Arrúa Gauto Gloria. Factores de éxito del proyecto Sonidos de la Tierra en la construcción de capital social en Paraguay. Asunción, Paraguay. 2010.

2. Improve impact by arriving at more communities. Widening the business model in places where they had not been able to work was another potential alternative. There were still many communities in Paraguay where the program did not exist. According to Paraguay’s General Management of Statistics and Census, the population of children and young adults was over 40% at the end of 2012 (see Annex 9). Thus, the number of professors would need to grow, and incentives would need to be generated so that professors who were already a part of the program would be willing to continue to contribute to the project. Finally, Luis thought, in the short term he would need to reduce his participation in Sonidos de la Tierra. He must identify the right person to succeed him—someone who would be able to maintain balance in the organization’s structure.

Annex 1: (a) Paraguay Paraguay is located in South America. Some analysts would say that, from a civil point of view, Paraguay is characterized by individualism, fragmentation, lack of trust in institutions and weak social capital.13 This is partly the result of various historical events. Paraguay suffered colonial processes that marginalized and repressed indigenous populations. Spanish culture, religion, language and customs were imposed. Subsequently, multiple dictatorships, maintained through fraudulent reelections, debilitated the institutionalism, transparency and trust in the government.14 A positive aspect of Paraguayan culture is the importance of music in daily life, going back to when the country was entirely inhabited by natives. For them, music was part of ceremonies and celebrations; it promoted fertility and good crops and scared away evil spirits. In pre-colonial times, the natives created rattles, flutes and drums, and made instruments with materials they had available (pumpkins, hollow tree trunks, teeth and animal hooves, etc.). During the colonial era, Jesuit missions arrived, which included many musicians. Several new instruments were introduced and widely disseminated, such as the violin, the harpsichord, the organ, the guitar and the harp. The distribution of the harp was so significant that it later became Paraguay’s national instrument. Music was also an important part of the Jesuit immigrant’s lives. The only aspect of indigenous culture that was not censured was the guaraní language. This gave way to a musical fusion in which melodies and rhythms were Spanish, but the lyrics were sung in guaraní.15 After Paraguay’s independence in 1811, continuous dictatorships took hold. Art was highly restricted, with the exception of music. During the remainder of the 21st century, popular music continued to develop and disseminate through the organization of military bands in meetings and social events. 16 During the 20th century, political instability led many musicians to exile. In spite of the above, from the seventies forward, Paraguayan music showed signs of renewal. Musical activity increased exponentially in the decades that followed. Historically, in moments of crisis, music gave hope to the Paraguayan people—so much so that it became an essential part of life. This is evident in the development of cultural icons related to music, such as the harp, the polka and the guarania. At the start of the 21st century, Paraguay faced significant challenges. As a response, citizen initiatives that aimed to create a positive social impact emerged. One of these was Sonidos de la Tierra, a social undertaking of teacher and musicologist Luis Szarán. 13

Arrúa Gauto Gloria. “Factores de éxito del proyecto Sonidos de la Tierra en la construcción de capital social en Paraguay”. Asunción, Paraguay. 2010. 14 Barreiro-Saguier, Rubén. “Los intelectuales frente a la dictadura: Represión cultural en Paraguay”. Revista latinoamericana de ciencias sociales. No. 35. ISSN: 025-3552. www.nuso.org. 15 Szarán, Luis. “Diccionario de la música en el Paraguay”. La Gráfica. Asunción, Paraguay. 1999. 16 Szarán, Luis. “Diccionario de la música en el Paraguay”. La Gráfica. Asunción, Paraguay. 1999.

Annex 1b: Brief political history of Paraguay Paraguay became independent from Spain in the year 1811. In the years that followed, the country became immersed in an unstable and complicated state. It was governed by three successive dictatorships, and entered into war with Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. It is estimated that the number of lives lost during this time was equivalent to half of its population. In the thirties and forties, the country was again submerged in a situation of political instability. There was a war against Bolivia, a civil war, and the emergence of new dictatorships. In 1954, the General Alfredo Stroessner took power and installed a government that would last 35 years. In 1989, a coup d’état ended this dictatorship. Finally, in 1992, the republic’s constitution was changed with the goal of guaranteeing democracy. In 2012, Paraguay’s was composed of Spanish descendants, Guaranis and European immigrants. The official languages were Guaraní and Spanish17. Paraguay’s economic challenges were large. In the last two decades, its economic growth averaged 3%. In 2012, the GDP per capita was USD $3,400. The percentage of the population that lived on less than USD $4 was 32.8%. That same year, the Gini index was 52.4%.18 The economy’s driving force and main source of employment was agriculture. In 2012, 23.5% of the economically active population was engaged in farming, fishing or agriculture. The average monthly income of these occupations was USD $200. In terms of education, the average length of schooling for people over 25 years of age was eight years. A total of 54.2% of heads of household had an average schooling of less than six years. Health system indexes were also alarming. Seventy three percent of the population did not have any kind of medical insurance. In rural areas, the total was 89.6%.19

17

Paraguay, Country Profile, Country Watch. http://www.countrywatch.com/about/about.aspx. December 2013. Indicadores Ecónomicos. World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org. December 2013. 19 Encuesta Permanente de Hogares 2012. Dirección General de Estadísticas y Censos. http://www.dgeec.gov.py. September 2013. 18

Annex 2. Sonidos de la Tierra: How we work20

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Sonidos de la Tierra: Cómo trabajamos. Official website: http://www.sonidosdelatierra.org.py. 2014.

Annex 3. Sonidos de la Tierra: Organizational chart Assembly FTN Syndicate Council of directors Executive Management Administration and Finances Internal Audit

Advisors: legal, tax and project

Community Entrepreneur Program

Sounds of the Earth Program

Institutional Communication

Sustainable Tourism Project

General Management Luis Szarán

Academic Council

Management Assistant Oscar Escurra

Admin. Assistant Guillermo Bogado

Institutional Relations Coordinator Andrea Burt Intl. Volunteers

Academic Coord. Elio Fleitas

Itinerant Instructors

Scholarship Assistant

Local Rep.

Production Coord. Willian Aguayo

Luthiers Casting

Executive Secretary Raquel Lopez

Assistant Jaime Escurra

Annex 4. Sonidos de la Tierra: Statistics Year 2013 Communities benefitted Children and youth participants Number of scholarship recipients Indigenous communities Program professors Permanent academic meetings Local seminars Regional seminars National festivals Local government alliances Alliances with public ministries Alliances with mass media outlets

104 3500 94 8 98 3120 100 9 2 5 4 5

Annex 5. Sonidos de la Tierra: Donations

Annex 6. Cost structure, 2012

Fees Instructors Mobility and travel expenses Scholarships for talented young people Musical seminars in the interior Orchestra creation Supplies and materials Contracted services Lodging and food Miscellaneous expenses Maintenance expenses Communication Rentals paid Energy Total Source: Tierranuestra. Memory 2012. Paraguay.

US$ 112,886 142,299 61,026 49,278 68,365 514 17,561 43,230 1,772 7,300 3,611 7,125 8,575 1,279 524,823

Annex 7. Rubén Darío Suárez Arana21 In 1996, Rubén Darío Suarez Arana returned to Bolivia, after having spent several years in Venezuela working with juvenile orchestras. That same year, Rubén created the Urubichá choir and orchestra. The group became famous at the First American Baroque and Renaissance Music Festival “Misiones Chiquitos”, that took place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia Their participants were of indigenous origin. For Rubén, que orchestras could overcome barriers of exclusion, poverty and social problems, as well as the lack of classical music culture or music education. Due to this belief, and with the help of advanced students, he created orchestras in different places in Bolivia. In October 2004, he created the Association for the System of Choirs and Orchestras (known as SICOR in Spanish). SICOR, along with Sonidos de la Tierra, had developed its own learning methodology. SICOR’s mission was to improve the quality of children’s lives, boost personal development and strengthen family circles through music. SICOR’s success had awakened the interest of other populations in Bolivia, and had become a regional movement. At a national level, Rubén was a very recognized musician and had great communications skills, which had been utilized in the past to bring the best musicians together on different occasions. From Rubén’s point of view, government entities should help fund the program. For example, SICOR’s tours were partially financed by the Municipal Government of Santa Cruz. In 2014, SICOR had created 22 choirs and an orchestra in the department of Santa Cruz.

21

“¿Quiénes somos?” SICOR. Website: http://sicorbolivia.wordpress.com. Consulted in October 2014.

Annex 8. A brief history of music in Bolivia Bolivian culture, as much of Latin America, was characterized by a blend of traditions—a predominantly indigenous population and the typical cultural elements of colonialism.22 Four types of relevant music are worth mentioning: Bolivian baroque, folk, popular and Bolivian academic. Bolivian baroque music is the product of jesuit influence on chiquitano, mojeño and guaraní musical styles. Artists of indigenous origin learned to create instruments and play baroque music. Mestizo baroque music is very related to religion. Before the National Conservatory of Music was founded in 1907, only cathedrals and churches had choirs and instrumental ensembles.23 Due to the country’s isolation, folk music in Bolivia underwent very few transformations. In the 21st century, prehispanic instruments were still being used. The main influences for folk were Preinca, Inca, Spanish, Amazonian and African.24 Bolivian academic music, much like popular music, has conserved its indigenous traits, but has been influenced by contemporary tendencies. After the foundation of the Conservatory in 1907, a few orchestra groups were formed. Nevertheless, it was not until 1945 that the National Symphonic Orchestra was founded.25 Music in Bolivia is also an important element of the Oruro Carnival, one of the most important celebrations in the world. It takes place every year in Oruro (western Bolivia), bringing together thousands of people and displaying a mix of religious traditions. Spanish and indigenous music are both central to this celebration, which lasts six days. Its main event is a procession of 28,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians that travel 4km over 20 hours. In 2001, the carnival was added to UNESCO’s list of Humanity´s Intangible Cultural Heritage.26

22

“Cultura: Música y Danza”. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Embassy in Washington, D.C. Website: http://www.bolivia-usa.org. Consulted Oct., 2014. 23 “Reseña Histórica”. Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Bolivia. Website: http://www.sinfonicabolivia.org. Consulted Oct., 2014. 24 Cultura: Música y Danza”, Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Embassy in Washington, D.C. Website: http://www.bolivia-usa.org. Consulted Oct., 2014. 25 Reseña Histórica”. Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Bolivia. Website: http://www.sinfonicabolivia.org. Consulted Oct., 2014. 26 “El Carnaval de Oruro”. UNESCO. Website: http://www.unesco.org. Consulted Oct., 2014.

In 2014, Bolivia’s music continued to be characterized by the blend of indigenous roots and European influence. Many musical events also continue to have a relationship with religion.

Annex 9. Size of the Sonidos de la Tierra market in Paraguay and Bolivia

Departments Districts Total Population Total Population between 0-9 years of age Total Population between 10-19 years of age

Paraguay 2012 18 250 6,672,633 1,469,593 1,397,642

Bolivia 2010 9 112 10,426,154 2,561,970 2,282,603

Sources: Paraguay: Statistical Yearbook 2012. General Directorate of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses. Bolivia: Total projection 2012. National Institute of Statistics.