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African-American Orchestra Fellow Joshua Jones visits Detroit schools

In celebration of the DSO’s Classical Roots Week, percussionist and African-American Orchestra Fellow Joshua Jones visited four Detroit area schools to perform for students and talk about drums, sounds, music, and life as an artist.

The first visit took place on Jan. 29 at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods. The subsequent three visits, all at Detroit schools, took place on March 1, 2, and 4, at Spain Elementary/Middle School, Plymouth Educational Center, and International Preparatory Academy, respectively.

“I try not to make it like there’s an adult onstage, you know, acting like an adult,” says Jones, whose positive energy is infectious. “I just like playing, I’m just happy people are inspired or at least having fun in the moment.”

Jones performed music on a variety of instruments, including snare drum, tambourine, and his beloved vibraphone. He talked to students about his own musical journey, beginning with a Mickey Mouse drum set at age 3, and how he was introduced to different instruments at different times in his life. Most importantly, Jones demonstrated that the excitement, discovery, and fun that come with learning an instrument are valuable no matter what a student’s goals are.

Jones takes his position as a mentor and role model seriously. “If I could, I’d do this all the time,” he says, laughing. Jones has been teaching and working with kids for more than 10 years, and regularly visits schools in his native Chicago. “I care that the kids can see an African-American male who’s not in jail, who’s not on drugs…and who is someone they can interact with afterwards. As a kid, it’s nice being able to see somebody come from where you are now.”

The DSO has for years been at the forefront of the movement to celebrate the contributions of minority composers and musicians, while increasing access and opportunities for youths in underserved communities to experience the magic of classical music. The visionary African-American Fellowship Program, for example, offers a yearlong performance residency with the DSO to one selected musician.  Past DSO fellows have gone on to win positions in orchestras across the United States, including the DSO’s own Principal Trombone, Kenneth Thompkins.

Making a Difference: Wu Family Academy Expands Horizons for Tens of Thousands of Students

Midtown Detroit is home to more than one premier orchestra. With an average age of 16, the extraordinary students who make up the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra (DSYO) rehearse every Saturday at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.

Violinist Maya Balaji, 16, is proud to have earned a spot in the DSYO, which is part of the Wu Family academy for Learning and Engagement.

“I’ve worked so hard for this audition every year, so I feel like working hard does pay off, and that’s very important for later in life,” she said. “My favorite part is definitely the music that we get to play. In our schools we are not introduced to such high-level music. For the students that require that level of music, this organization is influential and important.”

Violinist Kevin Yuan, 14, agrees that being in the ensemble is a welcomed challenge.

“I like to be around people who are better than me so I can learn from them and they motivate me to become better and to practice more,” he said. “The conductors instruct me how to listen to other people and how playing in an ensemble with multiple people can help me learn to be a better team player.”

The DSYO, Civic Jazz Orchestra (CJO) and Detroit Youth Wind Ensemble (DYWE) are the top performing groups of the Civic Youth Ensembles, which also encompass nearly 10 training ensembles made up of students from fourth graders through sophomores in college.

Two of these premier groups will perform this Friday, November 13 in Orchestra Hall during a showcase featuring the DSYO and DYWE. Learn more and reserve tickets at dso.org/wfa. The CJO performs prior to select Paradise Jazz Series concerts throughout the season (dso.org/jazz for details).

The once in a lifetime opportunities that students such as Maya and Kevin have experienced would not be possible without the generosity of the Wus and support from gifts to the DSO’s Annual Fund, making this a community-supported orchestra.

With a mission to change lives by expanding the understanding of the arts, empowering creative decisions and sparking a passion for music that will last a lifetime, the DSO’s Wu Family Academy carries on the legacy of Dr. Clyde and Helen Wu, who both passed away in 2015. With a deep understanding for music’s transformative qualities in children, the Wus developed a music education program that has since touched tens of thousands of lives.

“Dr. Wu and Mrs. Wu would always attend my concerts, and I would see them all the time sitting in the box seats,” Balaji said. “It just really goes to show that they were supportive of everybody. I could always see them enjoying the concerts. They created such a beneficial organization. For me it’s impacted me so much because it allows me to talk and meet very intellectual people, get introduced to difficult music and it fills that void for me. I would really like to thank Dr. Wu especially because DSO has been such a great part of my life.”

The program provides students not only with scholarships and new opportunities in the arts, but it also provides one-on-one time with esteemed DSO musicians during rehearsals and sectionals. Through live and digital partnerships, hands-on music education and training in classrooms, communities and virtual settings, the Wu Family Academy cultivates relationships that will change lives today, and the trajectory of the community tomorrow.

A memorial celebration of the Wus will be hosted Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. in Orchestra Hall, featuring musicians of the DSYO performing a program chosen by Dr. Wu himself.