LeGore Club Kids Make Music, Thanks to Local Volunteers
At the beginning of the year, our LeGore Boys & Girls Club formed a partnership with the Collegiate Alliance of Musicians to start a music program. The program teaches youth the fundamentals of music and gives kids access to resources in order to help them practice to become better musicians. Volunteers working with our youth are college student musicians that use their talents to offer community service.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, volunteers work with Club kids during the program. “At any one time, there may be anywhere from two to five volunteers available to work on different aspects of music,” said Eric Hubbard, founder of Collegiate Alliance of Musicians. “As of now, the instruments we use in the program are acoustic guitar, flute and keyboard. In addition, we have messy music days, where we have guest instruments such as a drum kit, electric bass or an electric guitar for kids to try out. We’ve even brought in recording equipment and made CDs of kids playing.”
There are consistently 10 to 15 young people who are part of the program each session. It is no secret that there are studies dedicated to the benefits of music education for youth, including behavioral and learning. However, arts funding is often cut first when budgeting issues arise in school systems. Without programs like these, youth with musical abilities—especially those from lower socio-economic groups—may never discover their talents.
“I see a lot of myself in the kids at LeGore,” said Eric. “I came from a similar socio-economic setting and didn’t have the same opportunities growing up that we are now providing to the youth in this program. Watching how the kids learn and progress is one of the most gratifying aspects of working in the program.”