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Children make magical music in Woodlawn

By Richard Muhammad on Wednesday, July 4, 2007

The gymnasium/auditorium at Andrew Carnegie School was packed as young musicians in bright blue t-shirts took to the stage for the first “Music Is Magic” recital by the Woodlawn Stringed Instrument Program.

The audience was delighted as the children lifted shouldered their tiny violins and violas or cradled their cellos and shared the results of weeks of Saturday morning instruction and hours of practice at home.

The music program is run by MAGIC (Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization), a local non-profit that is devoted to serving the needs of youth.

Program coordinator VaNessa G. Manar felt the talent and progress displayed by the children exemplified a simple truth: “This program was about the students in Woodlawn. It was important because it just showed talent exists, it just needs to be developed.”

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. Each class had an opportunity to appear on stage and play for the audience.

“Today is a day of accomplishment and shows how our children can learn,” said Bryan Echols, MAGIC executive director. The children have been enrolled in the 30-week program since February, he said. Lorell A. Jones also serves as a program coordinator.

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n addition to the musical talent that was developed, the program for four- to six-year-olds that uses the Suzuki method helped build a sense of community, added Echols.

That sense of community was exemplified by Carlos Meyers, whose son participates in the program. When t-shirts were needed for students, the silkscreen printer went right to work. The end product was beautiful and the labor and profit was donated.

Meyers said it was important to support his son and the other children and families in the program. It was a way to show appreciation, he said.

Sel Cardin, president of the Music Institute of Chicago, congratulated the children and parents on their success and saluted MAGIC for running a top-notch program. “A program like this is only as good as the partners,” said Cardin. Instructors from the Music Institute of Chicago teach the children in the Stringed Instrument Program and work with parents and children every week. 

Other partners and financial supporters of the effort, Joel Bookman of LISC Chicago, Sonya Malunda of the University of Chicago and Bishop Arthur Brazier of the Apostolic Church of God, and Principal Darlene Pollard of Carnegie Elementary were also impressed. They were honored with front row seats for the performance.

Bookman said the program appeared solid and that he looked forward to future success. Malunda applauded the participants and their parents for taking on a meeting a “great commitment.” Parents are playing a great role in the program’s success and should feel proud, she said.

Principal Pollard said opening the school to children from the community wasn’t a problem. Schools have come to realize they cannot be islands to themselves, she said. Involvement with the community to benefit children is a good thing and Bishop Brazier is a great supporter of Carnegie, which made housing the program even easier, Pollard added.

Bishop Brazier, whose church sits blocks away from the school, was glad to see the children perform well.

But he was most impressed by the role that parents play in the Stringed Instrument Program. Parents don’t just drop children off and leave, he noted. They have to stay with their children and practice for hours during the week at home, said the pastor.

It shows that good parents are in the community and ready to support the development of their children, he added. “Without parents this would not work,” he said. 

The Suzuki method is a parent teaching, student-led program. The parents learn what to do alongside students and provide home coaching. 

Manar, whose teenage daughter Binta Kai, is a student mentor and played the violin, also saw the program as important to the community. This is a chance to build where you are and leave a great legacy, she said.

Whether students ever play in an ensemble or an orchestra, they benefit from learning the discipline and expressing creativity through music, Manar said. That benefit translates into better academic performances, she noted.

“The sheer ability to make music is awesome!” Manar added.

Other parents say the program is helping their children develop their natural musical ability and offers a needed program at affordable rates right in the community. Single parents and low-income families especially appreciate the program. Instructors say the children are attentive and having fun. 

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 first year 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 as part of their New Communities Program (NCP) initiative.

A portion of the funds to LISC/Chicago for Woodlawn's NCP was provided by the University of Chicago.

Additional fund-raising is underway to add another instructor and more students, and to cover the five-year budget of $375,000.