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‘More than string instruments’

By Patrick Barry and Richard Muhammad on Monday, March 26, 2007

The squeaks and chirps of tiny violins are heard every Saturday in the halls of Andrew Carnegie School, where the Woodlawn String Instrument Program is bringing together children, their parents and instructors from the Music Institute of Chicago.

Organized by the youth service organization MAGIC and targeted to local children from four to six years old, the program uses the Suzuki method, which requires parents to be involved in the lessons and to serve as “home teachers” during the week.

Jada Witherspoon focuses on violin lessons as her mother Jenelle Ross watches her progress.

Richard Muhammad

“This is not just about string instruments, it’s about building community,” says Bryan Echols, MAGIC’s executive director. “It enhances the students’ study skills and increases the parents’ skills as well. And in between the individual and group sessions, while the kids are hanging out in the gym having a snack or some fruit, the parents are sitting around and getting to know one another.”

Children receive individual instruction, learn something of music theory and come together for group sessions in classrooms and school hallways. They have the option of learning to play the cello, viola or violin.

Chanda Goody’s son Alexander is in the program. She describes her soon-to-be seven-year-old as “a musician by heart. He started playing the drums at two. He asked for violin lessons the day before we found out about this program. God works! That’s all I have to say!” she said with a laugh. Goody was surprised at how well her son is doing in class.

“He’s teaching me, I’m learning as he is learning,” she said.

“Most music programs, dance programs, anything dealing with the arts, you have to go either into the suburbs or downtown and pay fees that are (too high) for some parents that are single parents, or low-income families, so this is great,” said Jenelle Ross, who accompanied daughter Jada Witherspoon to the Saturday morning activity.

“Economically it’s excellent. And, it also gives the kids an opportunity to able to be in the community, and not have to travel … and (feel uncomfortable) with the program,” said the young mother, who watched attentively March 24 as her six-year-old went through a one-on-one lesson.

“It gives the kids the opportunity to experience something different. Most people don’t have any experience with violin players, with children so small. I didn’t realize you could start them so little,” said Ross. Another child in the program is four-years-old, she noted.

“For the most part (the children) are really attentive, they’re learning new skills. They do a lot of repetition, repeating the skills over and over again. As the kids do the same skills more times they become more confident and that makes it easier to learn new skills,” said musician John Ronai, who teaches violin and viola. Ronai’s been teaching for about six years and has played the violin and viola since he was a child.

“It’s been very wonderful,” he said.

“In this neighborhood, it’s one of the best things that could happen,” said Lorel Thomas, who works alongside Vanessa Manna to coordinate the program.

She is happy to help children develop their musical talents and have parents actively involved in the learning process.

Initial sessions in the 30-week program concentrate on teaching both parents and students the basics like foot position and how to hold a bow. Students were measured to match them to the right size instrument, and now they are learning to coax sounds from violins, violas and cellos.

The program has 29 students and four instructors, with 22 more students on the waiting list. Class fees include a $25 payment for a book and training CDs, plus an instrument-rental charge of $6 to $8 per week. The bulk of the program’s expenses are covered by a $17,000 donation from Bishop Arthur Brazier’s Apostolic Church of God and a $35,000 grant from LISC/Chicago. Additional fund-raising is underway to add another instructor and more students, and to cover the five-year budget of $375,000.