>>> MUSIC, ITS BEAUTY IS

ENHANCED BY THE BEAUTY IT BRINGS

TO NOT ONLY THE EAR BUT ALSO THE

MIND.

FOR THOSE IN POOR AND

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES THE

HARMONY PROGRAM HAS BEEN

TEACHING THOSE THROUGHOUT THE

TRI-STATE WITH MUSIC FOR OVER A

DECADE.

THE FREE MUSIC PROGRAM HAS

EXPANDED THE MINDS OF CHILDREN

THROUGH THE AGES OF 8 THROUGH

13.

AS PART OF OUR ONGOING CHASING

THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON POVERTY

AND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA, IT

IS ONE THAT IS UNHERALDED

UNLOCKING THE FUTURE ONE AT A

TIME.

WITH US IS THE DIRECTOR AT

FITZGIBBON AND TWO OF THE

TALENTED STUDENTS IN THE

PROGRAM.

IT'S NICE TO HAVE ALL OF YOU

HERE WITH US.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

YOU BROUGHT YOUR INSTRUMENT.

BOTH OF YOU TAUGHT ME SOMETHING

ALREADY ABOUT INSTRUMENTS WE'LL

TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MOMENTS.

ANN, LET ME START WITH YOU.

EXPLAIN THE HARMONY PROGRAM.

>> SURE.

THE HARMONY PROGRAM PROVIDERS

INTENSIVE MUSICAL TRAINING IN

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS

LONG SIDELINE.

OUR GOAL IS TO USE THE STUDY AND

PERFORMANCE IN MUSIC TO DEVELOP

SKILLS THAT WILL SUPPORT

ECOXH

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SKILLS

AS WELL.

>> I'LL TALK TO THE STUDENTS.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED

WITH THIS PROGRAM?

>> I WANTED TO GET INVOLVED WITH

THE VIOLIN BECAUSE THE VIOLIN

HAS ITS OWN KIND OF SOUND.

I REMEMBER IT, LIKE ACTUALLY

STARTING TO PLAY IT IN MY

SCHOOL, I BELIEVE.

I REMEMBER JUST TOUCHING THE

VIOLIN AND LEARNING HOW TO PLAY

IT AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.

>> SORT OF MAGICAL FOR YOU WHEN

YOU FIRST TOUCHED IT?

>> YES.

>> MATHIAS, WHY DID YOU WANT TO

GET STARTED?

YOU HAVE THE VIOLA THERE.

>> I WAS INSPIRED BECAUSE IT HAD

EMOTION AND FEELING, HAD A SENSE

OF PASSION.

>> HAD YOU EVER PLAYED ANY

INSTRUMENTS BEFORE YOU GOT

STARTED IN THE PROGRAM?

>> NO.

>> NOT AT ALL.

WHAT THEN GOT YOU TO THE VIOLA?

>> WHAT HAD GOT ME WAS

SOMETHING, BECAUSE WHEN I WAS

YOUNG, I HAD --

>> WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG.

YOU'RE STILL A LITTLE BIT YOUNG,

RIGHT?

THAT'S OKAY.

>> WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I

LISTENED TO MUSIC LIKE

BEETHOVEN.

I USUALLY LISTENED TO MUSIC AND

TURNED ON MY RADIO AND ASKED,

WHAT IS THAT NOISE?

THEN THEY SAW ME LISTENING TO

IT.

>> YOU BECAME INTERESTED IN

MAKING THAT NOISE, HUH?

>> YEP.

>> I MENTIONED YOU TWO TAUGHT ME

SOMETHING BEFORE.

I ASKED YOU VIOLIN AND VIOLA.

I SAID, WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE.

TELL ME WHAT YOU TAUGHT ME.

>> THE DIFFERENCE ABOUT THE VY

LINE, IT IS -- -- THE VIOLIN, WE

CALL IT AN OCTAVE HIGHER AND

OCTAVE LOWER.

THE VIOLIN IS AN OCTAVE HIGHER

AND MAKES A HIGHER SOUND, UNLIKE

THE VIOLA.

LIKE THE VIOLA IS THE LITTLE BIG

BROTHER AND I'M THE LITTLE

SISTER.

>> YOU'RE THE LITTLE ONE AND

VIOLA IS THE BIGGER BROTHER.

YOU WERE TELLING ME, MATHIAS,

WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE OR OLDEST

LARGEST SIBLING?

>> THE SECOND LARGEST INSTRUMENT

OF THE VIOLA IS IT HAS A LOWER

STRING NAMED A C STRING,

COMPARED TO THE VIOLIN, ITS

STRING IS VERY HIGH AND ONE IS

VERY LOW.

>> LET ME TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU

GET OUT OF THIS.

WHY IS IT AND JASMINE, I'LL

START WITH YOU.

YOU OBVIOUSLY LEARNED TO PLAY AN

INSTRUMENT YOU HAD AN INTEREST

IN BEFORE.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU GET OUT OF IT?

>> I GET -- WHAT I GET ABOUT IT,

IS THAT IT COULD HELP YOU WITH

OTHER STUFF, FOR EXAMPLE YOUR

ACADEMICS.

IT HAS HELPED ME WITH MY SCHOOL

WORK.

I THINK THAT IS REALLY POWERFUL

ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT.

>> MATHIAS, IF ONE OF YOUR

FRIENDS SAID, I SEE THAT YOU

PLAY THIS THING.

IS IT FUN?

AND DOES IT HELP YOU?

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER YOUR

FRIEND?

>> I WOULD ANSWER, YES, BECAUSE

EVERY SINGLE MINUTE AND DAY, I

THINK ABOUT THIS MUSIC.

I'M LIKE, I HOPE THIS WORKS OUT

AND WANT TO KEEP THIS IN MY HEAD

THE REST OF MY LIFE.

>> THESE ARE MARVELOUS YOUNG

PEOPLE AND MARVELOUS STUDENTS.

I THINK A GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF

WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

LET ME COME BACK TO SOMETHING

YOU MENTIONED INITIALLY, THE

BASIS FOR THIS.

TALK ABOUT WHAT IT CAN DO FOR

STUDENTS, NOT JUST IN THE

CLASSROOM BUT ALSO OUTSIDE THE

CLASSROOM.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> I THINK WHAT MUSIC DOES MOST

IMPORTANT IS IT HELPS CHILDREN

TO DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO TAKE

ON CHALLENGES AND OVERCOME THEM.

WHEN THEY'RE FACED WITH A NEW

PIECE OF MUSIC, THEY HAVE TO

BREAK DOWN THIS DAUNTING LINE OF

MUSIC MEASURE BY MEASURE AND

LINE BY LINE AND THEY HAVE TO

PRACTICE AND THEY LEARN IF THEY

PRACTICE, THEY WILL SUCCEED.

IT'S THAT DISCIPLINE AND

TENACITY THEY CAN BRING TO

CLASSROOMS AND ANY OF LIFE'S

CHALLENGES.

>> DO SI, YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT

THIS THE VERY BEGINNING, WE HAVE

SEEN SADLY WHEN SCHOOLS AND

SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE FACED WITH A

FINANCIAL CRUNCH, ONE OF THE

FIRST THINGS TO GO AWAY WILL BE

THE ARTS.

DO YOU GET A SENSE, THAT'S WHAT

WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE, ABSENCE

OF THESE PROGRAMS AND HOW DO WE

FILL THE GAPS?

>> I THINK WE HAVE TO SPEAK UP.

CONTINUE TO MODEL AND SHOW THE

WORLD WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN DO

IF WE GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES

AND SETS HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

WHEN WE SHOW OUR KIDS OFF, WE

ARE THE BEST AMBASSADORS.

> WAS GOING TO SAY, IF YOU HAVE

ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE HARMONY

PROGRAM, SPENDS TWO MINUTES WITH

THE STUDENTS AND YOU WILL SAY

IT'S WORTH IT.

THANK YOU FOR SPENDING TIME AND

GOOD LUCK TO BOTH OF YOU.

YOU ALL BE WELL.

>> THANK YOU.