On the eve of their big Motown recital, the students were practicing at Studio 105, a creative arts studio, in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood.
Four kids plucked at their keyboards while another pounded on the xylophone. A young boy crooned the Temptations’ “My Girl,” backed by their instructor, Alyssa Boyd.
"I've watched kids not know where to put their hands on the keyboard, [go] to playing chords, to being able to accompany themselves and sing," Boyd said.
That’s the goal of Inspiration through Music, a free program teaching beginner and intermediate skills to school-aged Cleveland residents or students in the city’s public schools.
"I just want to try new things... because I take a huge pride in music and instruments," said 10-year-old Shane Wilcox. "It's had a huge impact on my life, and I just felt like I could try something new."
Boyd and other teaching artists instruct students in voice or on piano, guitar, violin and percussion instruments — all of which are free for the kids to take home and practice. Those donated instruments mean parents don’t have to shell out thousands of dollars.
"There's a disparity here," Boyd said. "I feel like this program very much, very much allows students to try out instruments with no barriers."
Cleveland Metropolitan School District has faced tremendous funding difficulties in recent years. Administrators are currently scrambling to cut $150 million over the next three years, resulting in reduced programming and fewer school buildings.
Studies show that arts programs are often among the first casualties when school districts have to make cuts.
That’s a big problem, said Councilmember Kevin Conwell, whose Ward 9 includes Glenville. Conwell, who plays in a band of his own, points to studies that show arts education significantly enhances student performance and graduation rates.
"They'll be home practicing their instruments and the instruments will build good character, good character of self-esteem, good character knowing how to organize," Conwell said. "These skills will be transferable over to life skills."
Beyond those life skills, Conwell said it’s a way to prevent violence in the city by giving kids something to do with their "idle hands."
"When I was a kid, instead of running the streets, I would keep the neighbors up in the community playing my drums late at night," Conwell said. "I remember this man said, 'Your son keeps me up.' That's what he told my mother. And she said, 'You know what? At least I know where my son is at. He's in the basement playing the drums.'"
Inspiration through Music is primarily funded by the city, which funds $180,000 annually to support after-school sessions and summer camps.
City officials recently saw that impact at City Hall: last month, Conwell invited a group of students from the program to perform at a City Council meeting.
"I was like, 'You know, everybody in this room probably knows 'My Girl,' so we should all sing it together because it just connects us," Boyd said. "It was this really cool moment where my student was playing the chords, and he was accompanying all of the City Council members in the room, and they all knew the words."
Boyd said that moment was important not only for the kids, but also for the adults in City Hall.
"City Council meetings can be really monotonous... People have very real issues that they're upset or frustrated about, and we get to be like, 'Hey, can we just have this human moment for a second?'" Boyd said. "I really felt like our message was felt in that room. And I'm like, 'Hey, this is the fruits of your labor. This is a program that's free to these students. And they're here in front of you now performing.'"
For kids like Shane Wilcox, the program's impact will go a long way.
"Music can just express things," he said. "I see myself in the future just playing music. It could be to help people... just as a hobby. But I see myself playing music in the future."
Inspiration through Music is hosting their next instrument drive on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
