Playing for Their Lives

Eric Booth, one of 2015’s Fifty Most Influential Leaders in American Nonprofit Arts, is a celebrated teacher, actor, writer, director, and businessman. A longtime faculty member at Juilliard and Lincoln Center Education, he is the author of The Music Teaching Artist’s Bible and winner of America’s highest award in arts education. Tricia Tunstall is the author of Changing Lives: Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the Transformative Power of Music and Note by Note: A Celebration of the Piano Lesson. A leading advocate for the importance of music education in children’s development, she consults with El Sistema programs in the United States and internationally.

"Playing for Their Lives brings us the news that not only is it possible to change the lives of children through music-it's already happening on a worldwide scale. This book is an important call to action for people everywhere who care about using music to remake our kids' future." -- Quincy Jones, music producer, arranger, and humanitarian "Playing for Their Lives affirms the power of music to change lives and communities. This is a book every orchestra lover must read, but also every community organizer, every school board member, and every citizen artist who is ready to change the world." -- Joshua Bell, violinist "I am hopeful that this inspiring book will encourage more communities to launch programs on the El Sistema model, so that all of our children can have this beautiful opportunity." -- Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland, 7th Congressional District "This is an amazing story that has meaning for all of us in education. Plus, there's a blueprint for how your own school can duplicate the remarkable success of El Sistema. You'll love the book!" -- Eric Jensen, author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind "Tunstall and Booth provide a beautifully textured exploration of the intersection of child development, social justice, and the orchestral experience. Their book should eliminate any doubt about the global relevance of the orchestral canon and its transformative powers." -- Jesse Rosen, president and CEO, League of American Orchestras "Anyone looking for evidence of the transformative power of the arts should read this important book." -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind