For the love of music

By Nancy Kriz
MONROE — Three Monroe-Woodbury High School students are back from a musical ambassador journey as part of an American Music Abroad (AMA) Honor Orchestra, performing concerts in different locations in six European countries over a three week period.
It’s the first time students within the district - which was again recognized this year as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” by the NAMM Foundation - have participated in the AMA program.
Sophie Jaeger, Alexis Newman and Anusha Dawson were part of a 25 piece orchestra which visited Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Croatia and Italy as part of the AMA’s Freedom Tour 2016, showcasing their group’s orchestral talents to music enthusiasts in different locales within those nations. They returned home this past Sunday.
Students are invited into the program based on their school directors’ recommendations and/or musical achievements based on audition recordings. Before departing, group completed intense rehearsals at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Our concerts provide a basis to bridge the gap between languages and cultures so that, at least on the musical level, the participants and audience connect and communicate,” according to the AMA website, which has been coordinating programs for the last 40 years. “The focus of our student tours in trifold: Musical, cultural and educational. We believe that music is truly an ‘international language.’ It is our goal to see the students grow into responsible and mature young adults as a result of the tour.”
Trips vary in destinations and costs and are the student’s responsibility. Many students opt to fund raise to help defray costs, which can run in the $5,000 and higher range.

'We were one'

Bonnie Glazier, a member of the AMA faculty who is also the high school’s Chamber Orchestra director, felt the experience was a multi-faceted one, particularly considering recent global events.
“One of the first concerts was in France,” said Glazier, who has been with AMA for two years. “We arrived there the day after the attack in Nice. And then the attack at the Florida teen club happened. At one of our concerts in one of the small towns, the mayor expressed concern and support for Americans and we were providing concern and support for France. Music brought us together. There was a lot of camaraderie. It united different cultures at a time when there seems to be a lot of separation based on ethnicity. We were united in the terrorism that was happening around the world. We were embraced by all these cultures. We were ‘one.’’
Attendance at the concerts ranged from 50 to hundreds, said Jaeger of Monroe, who has been playing the violin since the fourth-grade.
“I couldn’t speak with people in France, but people understood the music,” she added. “People really love American folk music. They don’t get to hear it every day. Music is an international language. Everyone understands it. If you can’t communicate verbally, you can communicate musically. You can share it with a lot of new people. ”
For Newman, a cellist who lives in Monroe, the experience also allowed her to feel more responsible and independent, while making new friends and reinforcing the value of playing an instrument.
“The language of music, it’s universal,” she said. “It brings us all together. The trip also opened up my eyes about other countries and their cultural backgrounds. I got to express my personality through my music. It drew people together from the different countries we visited.”
The group also had opportunities to sightsee and get a taste of the local way of life.
“They were very welcoming,” added Newman, who’s been playing the cello since fourth-grade. “Most spoke English. It was easier to assimilate.”

'When there’s music, there’s no barriers'

Highland Mills resident Anusha Dawson, also a cellist, equally felt it was a wonderful experience to perform for audiences other than parents, grandparents and friends.
“We were in different countries with a European audience, said Dawson, who also began playing the cello in the fourth-grade.“They appreciated American music.”
Like others, she felt there was a value to being a musician.
“I think music lets you express things in a different way without words, you can express how you're feeling and your different emotions,” Dawson said. “I had the opportunity to see such beautiful places that I never thought I would, particularly at my young age, and be able to play music in those countries too.”
On a grander scale, Glazier stressed music plays a huge role in everyday life. This trip was just one example of its many benefits.
“When there’s music, there’s no barriers,” she said. “(For kids just beginning to learn an instrument) they’re starting something that opens them up to so many worlds. They can communicate so many things. We see all the reports about how music helps the student academically. These (AMA) children, with their musical talents, can go to a different part of the world and ‘be one’ with another culture. It’s true here too. Whenever there’s a tragedy or a celebration, music is at the core. Think of 9/11 (memorial services) and even the Super Bowl (entertainment). Music is the glue that binds us together.”