Barrios Orquestados: Structuring Autonomy in Community Music Education

Author: Tania Cantallops Ortega (Spain)
Editor: Deborah Wanderley dos Santos

The Academy of Impact Through Music, in partnership with The Global Leaders Institute, are strengthening the global music education community by providing a platform for AIM Firebird alumni to share their impactful global case studies, aiming to foster knowledge exchange and inspire further innovation in music education worldwide.

BACKGROUND

Founded in 2012 in the Canary Islands, Barrios Orquestados has grown into a music education initiative serving more than 600 students across 14 locations, including centers in Honduras and Chile. The program focuses on peripheral neighborhoods with limited access to cultural opportunities and integrates music instruction with community development. Children as young as six participate in string orchestras that combine musical training with broader goals of social engagement.

Community involvement is central to the program’s design. Families are integrated into the process through parent choirs, music appreciation sessions, and family-oriented activities. This approach reinforces social bonds and extends the benefits of the program beyond individual students. One notable innovation is “Study Hours,” a system of autonomous group practice supervised not by teachers but by parents or caregivers. Students rehearse together in these sessions, developing responsibility, teamwork, and ownership of their learning.

STRATEGIC CHALLENGE

Study Hours emerged from students’ own request to achieve higher musical standards through more cohesive group practice. The challenge for Barrios Orquestados and its teachers is how to strengthen musical outcomes without undermining the sense of agency and collective ownership that lies at the heart of the program. The question is whether greater autonomy in practice can be a structured and replicable model for music education, or whether it risks uneven results without formal teacher oversight.

VALUE-ADDED CONCEPT

TIn 2023, a seven-week experiment was conducted with students aged 11 to 19 in Tenerife’s Ofra neighborhood. At the outset, students identified teamwork and stronger personal bonds as priorities for improving performance. Together they designed a rotating group structure in which smaller ensembles worked collaboratively on defined goals. Each session began with students articulating their objectives, followed by practice activities, and ended with reflection on what had succeeded or failed. Insights were shared with the full group at subsequent sessions.

The structure was simple but deliberate: a schedule ensured that every student collaborated with all peers over the course of the experiment, while reflective practices reinforced accountability. The design was rooted in student input, which heightened commitment and sustained motivation.

IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

The experiment employed multiple assessment tools, including questionnaires, performance videos, and dot graphs measuring perceived teamwork and improvement. Questionnaires tracked changes in attitudes toward collaboration. Performance videos allowed for objective comparison between baseline rehearsals and final concerts. Dot graphs helped students visualize correlations between teamwork and musical results.

This design also shifted the role of the teacher. Rather than directing, the teacher facilitated, observed, and ensured that reflective routines remained consistent. The model challenged conventional hierarchies in the classroom and opened new questions about how educators should balance guidance with autonomy.

IMPACT ANALYSIS

The results demonstrated measurable improvements in both attitudes and outcomes. Students reported feeling more involved in group work, more valued in their contributions, and more willing to express ideas. Questionnaire data showed increases in perceived teamwork fluidity and recognition of contributions. Performance comparisons confirmed that the final concert displayed higher cohesion and quality relative to the initial rehearsal.

Beyond musical results, the experiment altered group dynamics. Students demonstrated more enthusiasm in their interactions, greater synchronicity during performances, and stronger habits of listening and feedback. Skills developed during Study Hours, such as shared leadership and problem-solving, transferred into regular music classes. Over time, students assumed more responsibility for identifying challenges and proposing solutions, while the teacher’s role evolved further into facilitation rather than authority.

DECISION POINT

The experiment raises a strategic dilemma for Barrios Orquestados. Should the organization formalize and scale the autonomous Study Hours model across its network as a core component of music education, potentially redefining the role of teachers in the program? Or should it maintain a more traditional structure in which teacher-led instruction remains central, ensuring consistency but limiting the degree of student autonomy?

Both approaches align with the organization’s mission of combining music education with social development, yet they imply different pathways for sustainability, scalability, and long-term educational outcomes.