Warning: Barriers Falling!!

Yesterday was Scrollworks intense. I went to Hill with Molly in the morning. She taught violin in the gym while I monitored students practicing piano, guitar and cello.

We had students come to practice who weren't called: Jasmine, who has a piano at home, but is puzzling out the more difficult music Jimmy gave her. We had students stay to work with the next person called for their instrument: Shamari and Ataria passed the cello back and forth, prompting each other with Craig's very words.

Ja'Cory brought his own guitar for the very first time. It was incredibly out of tune, but he fingered Twinkle smoothly. (Jimmy tuned it after school.) Also for the first time, a few practiced their own instruments and then experimented with another. I love it when they call me over to listen to the piece they are working on.

After school, the free lessons started slowly but it grew so crowded that teachers stayed late to finish up with everyone. We had to recruit students and parents to teach. Little Amy showed even littler Sa'Coria the basics of the violin. Her mom helped Akil on piano. Amia taught guitar, Claudia taught piano. We sent a clarinet home with Tionna.


The staff at Hill Elementary has bent over backwards to accommodate Scrollworks. They are funny and warm and helpful and understanding. There are a couple, though, who have seemed irritated by how our presence adds to their workload. One of the ladies has spent a lot of time chasing me around locking and unlocking and relocking doors. Thursday she came in the gym to chain the doors while Kevin and Jason were working with Quiara. (See a video here.) She stood with an amazed look on her face as Quiara completed her performance with a flourish of sticks and sound. She clapped and could not stop smiling. She asked when she could see Quiara do an official performance. A skeptic became a believer.


We are always inconveniencing the lady who does after-care. We sometimes stay so late in the auditorium that it makes it difficult for her to have everything just so by 3 o'clock. On our first Friday afternoon at Hill, we asked her if she wanted to send any students to take music lessons. She responded with a curt negative. Yesterday I heard a professional-sounding performance on the drum set out in the school yard. Jordan, a very passionate volunteer, was demonstrating for a half-dozen drum students from the after care program. Mrs. Spivey was watching, nodding and smiling. She said she'd ask the parents if more students could participate. Another convert. I LOVE it.

To Play and to Fight

When I am walking the halls of Hill Elementary, I'm likely to get unexpectedly broadsided with a hug from a student. I'm bad with names, but I am surprised how many of these children I know. Even now, near the end of the school year, students beg to take music lessons at Scrollworks. It's a relief to be able to tell them to come to their own school on Friday or Saturday afternoons for free lessons.

All of these children are treasures, but some of them have wormed their way into my heart. They are the ones who want to do music so badly that no obstacle is too great. The motto of Venezuela's El Sistema is 'Tocar y Luchar' -- to play and to fight. That's what these children are doing: fighting to play music. They come even if they don't hear their name called. They bring their music folder, battered and bent with shredded sheet music sticking out. They endure the teacher getting on them for not practicing when it really wasn't their fault. They persist even when they have no support at home. They try and try and keep trying. Ja'Cory. LaDeja. JaDerius. JahHara. DiMario. John. Brian. It's a long list. Almost as long as the list of difficulties they will have to overcome to succeed even in a small way. Given any kind of edge, these young musicians would blow some of their privileged suburban counterparts out of the water.

We are not giving them enough of an edge. We have accomplished some things. Just showing up every day, every week for a whole school year is significant to these children. Consistency is not common in their experience. But what these children need is more time to learn, practice, and play music and their own instruments. We're going to adjust and we're going to help these children--and as many more as we can--succeed in music and in life. The world will be better for it.

The Gift of a Rose

After an intense Friday, we were expecting the same Saturday. But instead we had the quietest Saturday since the weekend after Christmas. I relished the calm as I watched the student teachers having time to get lessons themselves and the entire teaching staff bonding more deeply.

Tionna once again was the first student to arrive. Her teacher had brought her straight from an award ceremony where Tionna had gotten a certificate for participating in a mentoring program. Tionna walked in the door and gave me a rose. Then she got out a clarinet and barely put it down for the rest of the afternoon.

Tionna is why this program is important. Last Saturday I asked her to call her mom after she and her cousin Sa'Coria had been at Scrollworks for 3 hours. They weren't causing trouble, but Sa'Coria was bored. I was worried that I couldn't keep track of her as she wandered in and out of the school. Tionna had tears in her eyes and a stubborn set to her jaw as she left. Friday Tionna asked me how long they could stay without an adult. I said an hour. Tionna negotiated for an hour and a half. After all that, she brings me a rose.

Armani is another reason this program is important. He started calling me as I left for the office at 9:30 to see how he could arrange to get to Scrollworks. His mom had to go to work far too early to drop him off at the school. He ended up getting dropped off at the office and riding to Hill with Jimmy. Armani is a bit lazy, but he has music in his blood, so I put him to work teaching winds. He needs to learn more himself but he can get beginners started.

Tionna's hunger for musical knowledge burns bright. As the crowd thinned, Jimmy noticed. Even though he doesn't play any wind instrument, he sat down with Tionna to work on music reading and theory. Then Dwight came by. He was enchanted by this young lady, teaching her and her cousin for more than an hour. He was so impressed by how much both of them learned, but more impressed by the passion.

A special thank you to Craig for holding his cello circle and Elana and her student Louisa for teaching piano. Since it was quiet, Elana discussed piano curriculum with Jimmy and helped he and Claudia improve their skills so they can do a better job teaching. Elana gave Jimmy a few pages of scales. They were labelled with the Cyrillic alphabet, so I had fun remembering my Russian lessons and picking out the words 'major' and 'minor'.

An update on the fund raising:
Claudia made $12 selling the cupcakes she baked. She should have made $13, but Armani asked to put his on his tab.
Since we discovered that raffles are illegal in Alabama, Mrs. Easter spent some time with me discussing other ideas. We talked about a car wash. She wants to sell candy. But I made her get her piano lesson before we finished any plans.
We've gotten a donation from our webmaster and from Jah's grandma.
If you can spare $10 (or any amount), you can donate here: http://jeane-metroyo.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post.html

Preventing a famine of the spirit.

Lizzie
Akil
Eli
Richard
Christian
Tionna
Sa'Coria
Isaiah
Austin
Patricia
Sharalyn
Charletta
Quinton
Gabriel
Fredetrice
Dedrick
Caitlin
Cameron
Christan
Teresa
Sandra
Lorenzo
Ashton

These are the 24 students who came to Scrollworks for free music lessons today. In addition, there were two little boys--3 and 4 years old--who came for drums and didn't sign in. Tomorrow we will likely double this again.

Everyone in the gym of Hill Elementary today was consumed with hunger. The students are reaching out for the sustenance of the soul that music can provide. The teachers look to be filled with the spirit of giving and the satisfaction that brings.

You can share this generous spirit, the very soul of Scrollworks, by sponsoring next week's lesson for one of these students. Each lesson costs us $10.



Who would you like to sponsor? Here are a few of their stories:

When Lizzie would come to Greencup for lessons, I felt like we were living in an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Long before we were done setting up, she would very slowly climb up the stairs with her metal cane: "CLUNK, thump, thump...CLUNK, thump, thump." Lizzie just turned 74. A stranger on the street asked her if she wanted free piano lessons and her heart leaped. She's been dreaming of learning the piano all her life. (The stranger was Mrs. Bullock!)

Tionna came for the first time last week. She's from a different neighborhood, so her mom drives her to Scrollworks. (It's amazing her mom's car can move.) After two lessons, Rick was comfortable leaving her to supervise Gabriel and Sa'Caria exploring the clarinet. She begged to take a clarinet home today. We have given our extras to students from Hill, so she'll have to wait until we can repair the broken one at the office.

Caitlin and Cameron, pictured at the top with Mary Lee, are long time favorites. Caitlin plays the piano and Cameron plays guitar. Their mom has MS, so their grandma brings them. They practice and make good progress.

Christan and Teresa are also favorites. Like the mother mentioned above, Teresa has serious health issues. But she always has a smile and works hard on learning the guitar. Christan does the teen-age pout almost as well as she plays piano.

Where would your money go if you sponsored a lesson? To our teachers, of course:

To Jimmy, who has been donating back part of his pay check and donating method books and has already written $15,000 in (pending) grants and is working on $70,000 more. If you love me, then you have to love Jimmy because he's given me more than just a day off each week. He's given me back my sanity.

To Amia, a recent immigrant. This is her first job, and it's an amazing choice for her to make, coming from South Africa to teach music to inner city children.

To Rick, and Marcus.

Claudia and Jordan volunteer their time on Fridays.
Me? I don't get paid in money, but my heart is always full.

Stacey Monk on Reassurance

Reposting my friend Stacey's rumination on the Epic Change blog. She and I are traveling parallel paths and her thoughts today really did reassure me!

There are moments of knowing. Tonight I had one - that tingly sensation when it’s as if the universe is shouting wordlessly to tell you some massive secret.

I cry in these moments. I am now.

I don’t know how to describe this feeling, but it is bliss.

I am not sure exactly what the universe is trying to say. I take that back. I do know. Precisely.

It’s saying it knows I’m weary.
It’s saying it knows this is hard.
It’s saying, knowing it doesn’t have to, “don’t give up.” (I couldn’t if I tried.)
It’s promising help is on the horizon.

It’s saying, “what more do you want, little girl?
What more do you need?
What more do you hope for?
It’s yours.”

It’s saying “You’re going the right way.
Don’t turn back.
Keep going.
I know you’re scared.
I know some may doubt you.
I know you doubt yourself more than they possibly could.”

The universe is whispering, in it’s most comforting, reassuring possible voice:

“Good will come. I promise.
Stop pushing so hard. Let it be.”

And tonight I believe. Profoundly.

Because the universe has proven time and time again - every time I look into the face of another human and see love or yearning or light or trust or faith or hope - that good is the only possible outcome when a human heart loves so deeply, hopes so audaciously and works so hard.

I recently found out my friend Jen Lemen won $50,000 in the Name Your Dream Assignment contest to cross the globe and photograph hope.

She’s proof that good wins.

In case you had any doubt.

Mrs. Bullock, Mrs. Easter and Your Two Cents: How to Fund a Movement

This is Cleo Bullock. She called me over yesterday to talk about her fundraising ideas. She says she could make Scrollworks 'bloom' with children, but she's afraid she'd overwhelm our resources. So she wants to help us raise money to do more. Mrs. Bullock has already donated over $700 she collected standing outside her Family Dollar.

As she began to get fired up, Mary Easter joined in the brainstorming. Mary studies piano. Her grandchildren come every Friday and Saturday for violin, drums and piano lessons. Her whole family believes that music education is critical.

Both ladies really want to do a raffle. They suggested that people would readily buy raffle tickets for a dollar, even if the prizes were inexpensive. Mary said she would donate some music cassettes she has that are still in the wrapper.

Cleo turned to the keyboard and lovingly ran her fingers up and down the keys. She wondered if she could convince people to sponsor an instrument:
$.25 for each key on a piano -- $22
$1 for each string on a violin or cello -- $4
$1 for each string on a guitar -- $6

She also wondered if people would match her donations with a pledge of two cents per $1. That'd be $14 so far.

Mrs. Bullock and Mrs. Easter say that Scrollworks is a blessing. Their fund raising goals are modest. And yet Cleo has managed to raise an amazing total in a short time. My friend, Leslie, has told me about ladies like this who were the soul of the civil rights movement in Birmingham. I am so proud that they see the value of what Scrollworks is offering.

Those of us involved in this program know it is a movement with the potential for profound social transformation.

Too many music lessons?

This is Amia and Lourdes at Hill this afternoon. Amia is a recent immigrant from South Africa. She was so excited to fill out her paperwork when we hired her because she'd just gotten her green card. Lourdes has a learning disability, but not when it comes to music. He takes violin, trumpet, guitar and drums. Everyone agrees he should be focusing on one or maybe two instruments. But I've never seen a teacher turn him away. I've never seen our teachers turn away any child passionate about learning an instrument.

Think about it. A warm spring Friday afternoon. The parents tell us they don't make the students come, the students are begging to come. Almost all of them don't take one lesson, they take two or more. Some come back again on Saturday. To be able to indulge themselves, have as much as they want of something, has to feel so good to them. That isn't something that students at Hill School get very often. Where would you rather these children be today? tomorrow?


This is a new Scrollworks student. She came from Hemphill Elementary because her cousin told her about the free lessons. Tionna took drums, a bit of piano and a bit of violin. Jason Swanson, a volunteer on Fridays, taught her clarinet and was very impressed with how fast she picked it up. Then she tried trumpet. Rick said her first sound out of the trumpet was marvelous--something a couple of his more challenging trumpet students hadn't been able to achieve in a month of lessons. After awhile, Tionna offered to show Rick something on the clarinet. So Tionna, clarinetist for barely an hour, sat down to seriously explain the instrument to Rick, who has a PhD in compostion.

Why I do this

These kids don't have to be here. They WANT to be here. They don't have to learn music. They WANT to learn music. Some of them goof around. Some of them struggle to focus. Some soak it up like a sponge and want MORE. Jimmy and Craig demand a lot and don't make it easy. The kids keep coming back. Just when Jimmy thinks he's alienated them all, they run back in to say good-bye to him after the last bell.

All of these children are beautiful.

Sticks & Stones: We WILL teach free lessons every weekend

In the fall of 2007, Aaron Hamilton came to one of our first planning meetings for Scrollworks, our attempt to bring El Sistema to the children of Birmingham, Alabama. Aaron was there to offer us time and space to teach at Cave9, his non-profit all-ages rock club on Southside. He was one of the first in the community to support Scrollworks. He and his colleagues threw a benefit for Scrollworks on February 15, 2008. We began teaching there the next afternoon.

The denizens of Cave9 are a lesson in not judging by appearances. Tattooed and pierced and clad in black, these are some of the kindest people I have ever met. I have seen Aaron take great care with the children from the Southtown housing project. Indeed, he wanted us at Cave9 for their sake.

When Cave9 moved to the space above GreenCup Books at the end of 2008, they graciously asked us to go with them. We were glad to follow. We had few other options. We were soon shocked to discover that Cave9 was not going to stay at GreenCup. The kind folks of Cave9 found it impossible to get along with their new landlord. I do not know the details, only that there was much bad feeling. Mike, the manager of GreenCup, told us we were welcome to stay there, even offering to give us storage space for instruments.

Despite this offer, we planned to move with Cave9 to their new location. Unfortunately, this location did not work and Cave9, out of options, dissolved. This is a profound loss for the community, even though many won't realize it, because this was a safe place for many disaffected young people to go. There was no alcohol and the single rule 'Don't be a jerk' was enforced.

So Scrollworks stayed at GreenCup. We were looking for other space. The stairs were a problem for me and many parents and grandparents. We had many complaints that GreenCup was not family friendly. Not long ago we had hauled the instruments up the stairs and had students streaming in when Mike informed us that we could not teach that day because of a burlesque show that needed to rehearse.

I was extremely upset that we had no notice of this. Mike himself said it had been on the calendar for months. The show, yes, but not the rehearsal time. Seemed to me that even enough notice to prevent setting up would have been common courtesy. We were able to move the lessons downstairs and outside, but the parents were not happy about drum lessons happening in front of a painting of a nude female, no matter how tasteful.

This past weekend we had a similar experience. Because of plumbing problems, Mike canceled our lessons just as our teachers and students arrived. While this is understandable, even an hour's notice would have allowed us to make other arrangements. We so appreciate the folks at the BareHands Gallery for letting us teach there. However, we closed early because I felt awkward making the art patrons dodge music stands and talk over drum lessons.

We tried to forestall such an eventuality this weekend, but this did not go well and Mike informed us in an expletive-laced email that we are 'gone' from GreenCup.

It is critical to our success that we provide consistent access to music lessons. Many of our students do not have ready access to the internet or cell phones. They move often. We cannot tell them about schedule changes. We have people that drive from Alabaster, Wilsonville, Bessemer, Pinson. They will be unlikely to come back more than once or twice if they make the effort to come and find Scrollworks canceled. We have been working hard to build the quality of our instruction and the number of participants. The disruption caused by the random shut down and now eviction by GreenCup has done damage to our efforts and our organization.

You all know how hard so many have worked to build MYOCA and Scrollworks. You all know the tremendous upheavals we have already weathered. I am not about to let a careless and selfish individual drive us out of business as he did Cave9.

This weekend we have found space at Hill Elementary, thanks to principal Taylor Greene, a member of our board. I don't know where we will be next weekend, but know that WE WILL CONTINUE TO TEACH. If you can't find us, just call 908-8843 and we'll tell you where we are. And please pass the word to any who might be interested in our program and want to see how free music lessons can transform our community.

You win

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." ~Gandhi

Provenance and Preconceptions

We had visitors to Scrollworks@Greencup yesterday.
The first was a classically trained pianist from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. She is considering teaching for us. We always advise new teachers to come to a Saturday session of free lessons to see if they can handle that teaching environment.
This woman frankly admitted she was shocked. At her conservatory students were taught in a private room with a grand piano. I pointed out that all the equipment in the room has to fit in my Honda Element at the end of the day. She asked how it was possible to learn with the cacophony of multiple lessons on many instruments all happening at the same time. I told her I didn't know, but that it worked. Out of the 40 to 60 students we see each week at Greencup, only a handful are new. I don't think we'd get so many returning students if they weren't learning. She shook her head.
She said that a keyboard isn't the same as a piano. I responded that it worked fine for students that might have no access to an instrument. Better a keyboard than nothing! She was taken aback and said she would not take students who had no piano at home. I told her that for many that we teach, an instrument at home is not possible. We do our best to lend them instruments or to give them practice time at our locations.

As we talked, the students streamed up the stairs and were guided to teachers. It was so noisy that Craig had to draw his circle of cellists close so they could hear. Our Russian visitor watched in wonder. Finally she said that it was obvious from the crowd that there was a tremendous need for what we were offering and that she would consider volunteering to teach a couple of hours each week. She said she wanted to figure out how we were making it work.

Later, another couple came by. They are music majors at the University of South Alabama and we have asked them to teach for us this summer. Having heard much about what we were doing already, they were eager to get involved. Their questions were not about how Scrollworks was possible, but more about how MUCH Scrollworks is possible. The contrast was striking but not surprising. Part of it is generational, I think, and part environmental.

I am excited to get all these people involved, no matter their provenance or preconceptions. What is important is a passion for music and a desire to share that with others, especially those who otherwise do not have ready access to instrument instruction. All of them will be changed by the experience and that will be good for our community.

Sponsor a musician