On Tuesday (9/20) at Tulsa television station KTUL, Maureen Wurtz writes about Harmony Project Tulsa, a program that “targets at-risk children and teaches them how to play an instrument every day after school…. By fourth grade lower-income children in every race are an average of two grade levels behind their more affluent peers. By eighth grade, the gap increases to three years. By 12th grade, the gap increases to four years.… The afterschool program has three different sessions, tutoring, music lessons, and music theory. It’s completely free to the students that participate…. With the training comes the opportunity for the children to perform. In September, they played with the Tulsa Symphony to a sold-out crowd.” The Harmony Project’s Kathy Rad “starts working with students in Pre-K and intends to follow their progress all the way through high school. ‘They come to school more often because of our program,’ said Rad.” Seven-year-old Jacqueline, one of 60 students in the program, says her violin lessons make her “feel happy because when you practice, you will learn more songs.” Harmony Project Tulsa is one of seven affiliates of Harmony Project of Los Angeles, dedicated to music education for youth in low-income communities.
Posted September 23, 2016
