✍More than a melody: the social value of music in Naples

The Quartieri Spagnoli Symphony Orchestra helps Italy’s most vulnerable young people

As you draw closer to the Pietro Russo Auditorium, a murmur ripples over the labyrinth of backstreets. It’s the sound of notes from the Quartieri Spagnoli Symphony Orchestra. Named after the local district, this special ensemble grants the area’s youngsters a hint of order amid the commotion.

In one of Naples’ most densely populated and poverty-stricken neighbourhoods, rehearsals give children a moment to forget about their needy living situations. Outside, growls of motorbikes mix with the clamour of street traders. In the safety of the auditorium - formerly an abandoned church - there’s a sense of unity beyond the muddle: the medley of cellos, violins, and double basses, gently played by Generation Z’s next top classical stars.

Hailed as an instrument for social redemption, the initiative is inspired by the world’s largest orchestra, Venezuela’s El Sistema, which has given over two million children the chance to escape from crime and poverty. Since 2010, the bel paese has been turning slum dwellers into first-rate classical musicians. At least 10,000 Italians, aged four to 16, engage in this endeavour.

“I’ve seen children grow up, make a professional path through music and ask me what they’d have done without it”, said Enzo De Paola, President of the Naples orchestra, which now has 50 members. “We’ve changed their lives.”

Asked how it differs from normal music teaching, De Paola revealed, “At first, there is no monotonous solfège.” Teachers give children a sign to play the only note they know and they learn to read music later on. Despite creating professional musicians, De Paola says their main goal is to be inclusive. "It doesn't matter whether children are naturally talented, we ensure they attend rehearsals instead of getting mixed up in the wrong crowd.”

Students have lessons three times a week - one individually, one with an ensemble, and another with the whole orchestra in the auditorium to practise for monthly concerts. Children also take instruments home without paying a penny. The scheme has never received financial help from the State. Instead, it’s supported by close friends and local organisations. De Paola remembers how, in the beginning, it was a family-like organisation, small and informal. Now it’s professionally structured with 22 teachers to pay.

Beyond their musical education, Vice President Domenico Salerno says a challenge has been creating routine for children without family support who may otherwise drop out of school. “We wanted the orchestra to be in a special neighbourhood”, recalled De Paola. “The Spanish Quarter is particularly special because there are so many different social classes - the taxi driver, the businessman, the criminal - and various ethnicities. Sri Lankan, Chinese, Ukrainian - it brings everyone together.”

Upon entering the auditorium, the children gaze up in excitement before innocently turning to each other and giggling, curious to know who has come to visit. “We’re doing after-school activities”, explained Sara Minucci, a coordinator helping with homework before music lessons. Taking advantage of her distraction, a stocky child with dark hair begins knocking about a football. Glimpsing back, he seeks her approval with a presumptuous, yet cooperative grin, to which she nods fondly.

It's a team that knows when to put the pressure on and when to let music take a back seat. “A child who spends years in a conservatory, forced to practise Bach’s The Art of Fugue or Mozart’s Requiem, can become overwhelmed”, De Paola explained.

“For children who don’t know about instruments, like those who come to us, you encourage them to do a difficult piece and, with practice, they succeed”, De Paola said proudly. “Our orchestra is proof music can transform a poor economic background in Italy’s Mezzogiorno. It’s more than a melody: it teaches the important things in life are done together.”