A violin case slung over her shoulder, 10-year-old Daniela Fagundez trudges home along a row of muddy yards where chickens scratch among banana trees and laundry hangs to dry on wire fences. She's an unlikely classical musician, the daughter of a construction worker father who dropped out of high school and a mother who has cleaned houses to help the family get by. But Daniela has found a new world in music, and her eyes light up as she talks about the violin she was given through a unique program that has changed her life. 'This is the most beautiful gift I've ever had,' she says proudly. 'In the future, I'd really like to conduct the orchestra.' She is a participant in one of the most widely praised teaching systems in classical music today, a nationwide network of orchestras that has made Venezuela a powerhouse for producing talented musicians. It is known as El Sistema — the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela — and it's becoming a model internationally for getting children excited about classical music.
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