On Wednesday (8/5), National Public Radio’s Elizabeth Blair reports, “A recession is no time to launch a new summer music camp, especially one that would be free to inner-city kids. The sheer audacity of it is impressive. But John Littlejohn, a classically trained musician in his early 30s, is a pretty impressive guy. He jumped through many hoops to make his summer camp a reality. …Thrive City String Academy took place on the campus of Towson University in Maryland. … The campers were all handpicked by public-school music teachers. Littlejohn says he sought out kids who had a strong interest in music but didn’t have money for lessons. …. Littlejohn gives full credit to the teachers who offered to help him along the way—first in high school, then at the University of Michigan, and finally at the Peabody Conservatory. … ‘From 9 to 10 p.m., [the campers] can just hang out in the hall. I expected them to just run around … They started pulling out their instruments and started playing. I almost cried. … They just wanted a place to play music.’ Littlejohn has already started fundraising for next summer.”
Posted August 7, 2009
Photo of John Littlejohn courtesy of the artist
