It could be a beautiful Christmas tale: a child from an underprivileged background, a good fairy who entrusts him with an instrument for three years, teachers who open up the enchanted world of music to him, a professional orchestra who takes him under his wing. , and a few other CM1 children with him to play (later!) Mozart or Beethoven… But that’s the reality, except for a few details and a few figures. This Demos project (Musical and orchestral education system with a social vocation) has been in place since the start of the school year in Avignon, after around forty other cities, including Marseille recently launched, the only two cities in the Sud-Paca region. .

Six schools in Avignon

Démos is a large-scale device, launched and managed in 2010 by the Cité de la musique-Philharmonie de Paris. For the moment, it concerns more than 10,000 children (7-12 years old) all volunteers. In Avignon, the Démos orchestra will be made up of 6 groups of 15 children from 6 schools in priority education zones (La Trillade, Jean-Henri-Fabre, Grands Cyprès, Pierre-de-Coubertin, Stuart-Mill and les Olivades ), in close collaboration with socio-cultural centers (Croix-des-Oiseaux, Espace Pluriel / La Rocade, Fenêtre / Saint-Chamand and Grange d’Orel).

You also need the determination and enthusiasm of a good fairy, in this case Debora Waldman, head of ONAP since 2020, who had already helped to create several Demos orchestras in Ile-de-France. Concretely, each group of children will be trained and accompanied by a weekly musical practice in their own school. And assistant to dedicated ONAP concerts.

Everything is done in stages: since September 25, children are introduced to vocal and bodily practice, and to discover the instruments to enlighten their personal choice. On November 17 at the social center of La Croix-des-Oiseaux, they will have the right to a chamber concert of the ONAP. 1uh December will be the big day. Each young person will receive the instrument he has chosen, and he will keep it for three years, or even longer if he continues.

Three years is the duration of the system, sufficient time to open these young people to a solid training, and allow them to take their place in the orchestra. In 2020 and 2021, 3,000 donors raised nearly 480,000 euros to equip 16 young orchestras. From this Tuesday, November 8, Démos is launching, until January 17, a new participatory sponsorship campaign to equip new budding orchestras, including that of Avignon.