Studying El Sistema as a Swedish community music project from a critical perspective

Sweden has a long tradition of implementing cultural activities in community-based organizations, even though the concept of community music is rarely used. One project in line with this tradition is El Sistema, a global movement that reached Sweden a few years ago. This article aims to discuss to what extent and in what ways El Sistema in Sweden can be regarded as an example of community music practice and further to argue for a critical approach when analysing this particular music education venture. By using discursive tools we try to move beyond preconceptions based on educational and cultural beliefs. In addition, a critical perspective also makes it possible to pay attention to what is at stake in a specific music education context.