Landfill Harmonic Analysis

The next event I attended was the screening of “Landfill Harmonic”. This film was about a group of children and their families who live in The next event I attended was the screening of “Landfill Harmonic”. This film was about a group of children and their families who live in Cateura, Paraguay which is basically a landfill for Asuncion. An environmentalist, Favio, sets out to try to help the environment by educated people about recycling and waste sorting practices. However, he ends up starting an orchestra for the children in Cateura. Favio asks Nicholas, who previously worked in the landfill, if he can make instruments from some of the material from the dump. Nicholas is able to use all sorts of things to create violins, guitars, cellos, drum heads, etc. Over a three year period, from 2011 to 2014 the documentary follows the lives of these children, focusing especially on a few of the violin players. The orchestra gains notice first from Paraguay, then other Latin American countries, and finally internationally. The children suffer some setbacks from the poor living conditions they have in Cateura, but it seems overall this program is benefiting the youth.

I thought this documentary was well made. The story is uplifting and inspiring, as we watched these children grow. At
The story is uplifting and inspiring, as we watched these children grow. At first, it may seem like this right to play music seems less important than other more basic and necessary rights, but this documentary was not just about these children being able to play music, it showcased the harsh and unhealthy environment they live in and the poverty they and their families experience. This music helps connect them with their culture and others as well. It also allowed them to experience things like traveling to different countries and learning how to play music which they would probably never had the chance to do if the program had not been