MONROE — It’s 3 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon and the North Main Elementary fourth-grade orchestra and band students are dashing to the cafetorium and gym for group practice.
In the cafetorium, Jayla Farinacci meets up with high school sophomore Henal Shah, who is ready to help her with some quick and last-minute tuning of her violin.
Pluck-pluck- pluck.
Pluck-pluck-pluck.
Shah listens for the tone as she continues with the “pizzicato,” or plucking of the strings, and makes the necessary adjustments.
Satisfied, she hands the instrument back to the young violinist, who then takes her seat with others, ready for instruction by orchestra director Amy Hotto.
That scenario was repeated with other students holding violas, violins and cellos by Shah and her colleagues - as well as in the gym for band students and their instruments - by high school music students who regularly come to North Main to lend a hand and their musical talents in a music partnership established by the two schools.
Role models
Now in its third year, the program allows high school students to provide mentoring guidance to fourth and fifth-graders while providing extra hands to the music teachers.
“They might tune an instrument,” said Hotto. “Or they’re sitting next to a child ‘lost’ with the music. They help us to keep the kids organized. They’re a huge help.”
Band teacher Lara Hansen agreed: “It’s just as good as having an extra teacher. They’re amazing. These big kids are so relatable to the children. They call them ‘the team.’ They ask us, ‘Is the team coming today?’”
Students come after high school ends on Wednesdays and Thursdays, often times bringing their own instruments to demonstrate. They routinely play with the band and orchestra.
In the gym, Cara Steinberg arrived with her personal clarinet and sat next to Leonard Velazquez, ready to accompany the band as Hansen warmed up the group.
“I’m thinking of minoring in music,” said Steinberg. “I like playing and listening to music. I like helping the kids, making that connection and helping them get better.”
‘An outlet to express themselves’
Shah had similar reasons for taking part in the partnership, which also offers high school participants community service hours to help them earn the comprehensive diploma.
“I like going to North Main because I like to help people and watch the kids grow as musicians,” she said. “Music is a stress reliever. I want to pass down to always to have fun with the music and don’t get so frustrated and stressed out about it. I think music can give a person an outlet to express themselves. It’s another area a person can excel at.”
Fourth-grader Jayla appreciated the help.
“They take their time to come here,” she said. “It’s their choice and it’s more help for me. I think it’s a really nice thing to do this. It’s helping me play my instrument better.”
High school cellist Alyssa Sollazzo also liked offering guidance to younger students.
“I like doing it because I like helping out the little kids and showing them how to do things and teach them,” she added. “It’s a good learning experience for me, too, as it gives me opportunities when I get older. I want to become a nurse. Music will be a secondary thing and I would like to offer private lessons.”
Her advice to students?
“Practice,” she said. “Take your time while practicing, because in the long-run you’ll be a much better player.”
Yet, it’s not just the extra sets of hands and the musical guidance given by the high schoolers that make the program important to the North Main music faculty.
What’s equally valuable, Hotto said, is that the older students demonstrate to their younger counterparts the possibilities that exist if they stick to their musical studies.
“These are amazing players who come to help these little guys see what they can become,” she added. “It’s great to have that kind of role model.”
By Nancy Kriz