New York Times: An Orchestra of Little Hands and Big Dreams
An Orchestra of Little Hands and Big Dreams
Paul Kirby waved his baton at the group of musicians gathered in the cavernous United Palace Theater in Manhattan on a recent Saturday. Sweat cascaded down his brow as the string orchestra played in front of him.
“Stop, stop, stop! Shorter and more crisp,” Mr. Kirby said.
He tapped the baton against a music stand and took a deep breath as the violins, cellos and violas played Handel’s “Hallelujah” Chorus.
“There you go!,” Mr. Kirby, 68, said, waltzing in place. “Be triumphant. Absolute. You can make people feel a certain way — that’s the power of a string orchestra.”
It was a rigorous three-hour rehearsal, considering that some of the musicians were 5 years old.
They are all members of youth orchestras that expose children from disadvantaged backgrounds to classical music. Experienced musicians teach them to play a variety of stringed instruments.
For most of these children, private lessons and musical instruments are things their families cannot afford.
“This is so important because music moves these kids; moves them to be better people, better musicians,” said Mr. Kirby, who works for one of the youth orchestras. “Look at them. They feed from it.”
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Mita Crane, 9, with her violin. Credit Devin Yalkin for The New York Times
The young musicians will get an opportunity to show off their skills at a concert on Saturday night at the United Palace Theater, in Washington Heights, that will be hosted by Jamie Bernstein, a daughter of Leonard Bernstein, the composer and conductor.
Ticket sales from the concert will help six youth orchestra groups — four in New York City, one in Union City, N.J., and one in New Orleans — that have adopted El Sistema, a popular music education and character-building program for underprivileged children that was founded in Venezuela over 40 years ago. Gustavo Dudamel, the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is one of the program’s most famous graduates.
“While their peers play outside, hang out on street corners, or tap incessantly into electronic devices, these young musicians are inside classrooms learning the classical repertoire,” said Mike Fitelson, the executive director of the United Palace of Cultural Arts, a nonprofit center in the theater where the youth orchestras practice, perform and store their instruments. “Instead of listening to Jay Z on their headphones, they’re playing Beethoven.”
Mita Crane, 9, is one of those musicians. Mita’s father, Mark Crane, gave his daughter a violin he had had as a child, but had never played. She wanted to learn the instrument, but he could not afford lessons. So he did some research and came across the Upbeat NYC orchestra, an El Sistema-based program in the South Bronx.
“I like being able to express what I’m feeling in the music,” said Mita, who is home-schooled. “Sometimes I forget I’m playing and I snap back right when the piece is ending. It makes me happy that I can lose myself in it.”
Mita, wearing a big pink bow, was seated, practicing for the concert on Saturday in the theater, her feet barely reaching the ground. The concert will also include performances by musicians from the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
“Even If I did have a lot of money to pay for lessons, I wouldn’t trade this for the world,” said Mr. Crane, a substitute English teacher. “Mita and these kids are able to express themselves artistically and inclusively, showing who they really are.”
Mr. Fitelson said the lessons the children absorbed went beyond music. “They also develop teamwork, discipline, perseverance, empathy and problem solving — critical life skills for finding success in any career they choose to follow,” he said. “But who knows — perhaps there is a Mozart-like virtuoso, or a Bernstein-like maestro, hiding in their midst.”
Though the focus of the programs is on the youngsters, parents are expected to play a major role in their children’s musical education. “If the parent is not fully invested, it doesn’t work,” Mr. Fitelson said. “For the child to succeed, the parent is called to make sure they practice at home, get to rehearsal and strive for excellence.”
Mariel Escalante, who lives in Washington Heights, has been more than happy to shepherd her 12-year-old daughter, Carla, to rehearsals and to make sure she practices the cello.
It all started when Carla’s father took her to a classical music performance. As the musicians played, Carla pointed at a bass and told him she wanted to play that instrument.
Her father thought she was pointing at the cello, which is about the same size. It didn’t matter — Carla was smitten.
“This program gives kids a place to go, it keeps them away from temptation,” said Ms. Escalante, whose daughter is part of the WHIN Music Project in Upper Manhattan. “Life was different before. My daughter was more serious, sad even. I never thought she’d find a passion. But ever since she stepped into that room, she fell in love.”
Ms. Escalante’s support for her daughter caught the attention of one of the conductors.
“She told me to take home a cello,” said Ms. Escalante, tears forming in her eyes. “I was hesitant, but I took it home.”
Ms. Escalante now plays with her daughter.
“Carla asks me, ‘Mom, have you practiced already? Keep up.’ ” Ms. Escalante said.
As for her daughter, the cello has brought a sense of purpose. “My life was boring before,” Carla, a seventh grader, said. “But now, I practice all the time. I have fun.”
As Carla and her orchestra mates stared in rapt wonder at the high golden ceilings of the theater, a former movie palace, Ms. Escalante sat in the audience, waving at her daughter on stage and urging her to feel confident.
Closing her eyes, she put her clenched hands on her chest, savoring the moment.
“I’m living a dream,” she said. “Don’t wake me up.”