Sistema Winnipeg: Growing Up in the Program, Leading It Forward

For ten years, Sistema Winnipeg was a second home for violinist Keisha Giesbrecht. And now, she has returned as a Site Coordinator, guiding the next generation through the same program that shaped her life.

“Growing up, Sistema Winnipeg always had a special place in my heart,” Keisha says. A love of music drew her in right away: playing the violin “filled my heart with nothing but joy” and helped her discover a passion she now can’t imagine living without. Along the way, she met her closest friends. “After many years, we still laugh about our Sistema days, and I hold those memories so closely to my heart.”

Coming back in a leadership role was a natural step. Keisha wanted to “bring the same joy that I had growing up, to others” and to give today’s students the “little moments to look back at in 10 years.” Her goal is simple and powerful: “Helping children’s life to be a little bit brighter is honestly all I want. I want to be able to provide a safe, and welcoming environment for all the Sistema students.”

For her, Sistema is far more than music lessons. Students receive an instrument, a snack, and a safe place to be after school. Just as important is the stability and routine they experience every day. Knowing the schedule, what to bring, and what a “model classroom” looks like helps them bring “the best versions of themselves” to learning. They gain something that is truly their own — an instrument, a seat in the orchestra, a bond with a classmate or teacher — and that sense of ownership helps them feel safe, ready to learn, and able to support one another.

Keisha sees the impact most clearly in individual stories. She remembers one student who was very shy, rarely speaking and often just following others. Over two years, with patient encouragement and consistent care, he transformed. By the winter concert of his second year, he was raising his hand, eager to learn, making friends, and standing up when something didn’t seem right. “He no longer isolates himself during Sistema time and always comes to give me a hug whenever I am working.” For Keisha, he is “a prime example of how the program helps build confidence, focus and belonging” — a change she has seen in many students as Sistema becomes “another home.”

To donors, her message is heartfelt and direct. “The first thing I would do is thank them,” she says. Their support gave her and her friends “the opportunity to learn, grow, and become the people we are today.” Keisha believes she would not be the same person without Sistema: it built her confidence, uncovered a passion for music, and gave her her closest friends and most cherished memories. “Their support didn’t just give me an instrument and some food, but it gave me a sense of hope, belonging, and clarity in a world that seems so loud, even at a young age.”

Looking ahead, Keisha hopes today’s students carry the program’s lessons into their schools, families, and communities. She wants them to know they can “dream big,” keep their passions alive, and spread “music, the importance of community, and love all around.” She sees that passion every day — for music, for kindness, even for “Sistema snack” — and wants them to remember that once you have that “fiery passion inside of you, you can achieve anything.”

Above all, she hopes they take Sistema with them for the rest of their lives: sharing their joy with their parents, talking about their music with friends, and knowing that Sistema will always support their hopes and dreams.