Stanford Thompson is the Executive Director of "Play On Philly!," a music education program in Philadelphia. He's also the chair of the National Alliance of El Sistema-inspired Programs.
El Sistema is a successful nation-wide music education program in Venezuela, founded in 1975.
In recent years, a handful of similar programs have sprung up here in the United States. Stanford Thompson is a national leader in the El Sistema movement in America.
Thompson spoke with Fred Child in the Performance Today studios about education, and why he encourages students not to become professional musicians.
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