Dear Elizabeth Guglielmo,
My name is Jane Robinson and I am a violinist attending Hunter College High School.
I believe that music education is important because it improves the mental health of adolescents and helps them develop time-management, communication, and organization in addition to the actual learning of the music.
Music has impacted my life by giving me the opportunity to meet incredible performers in my own community who have motivated my passion for the violin and helped me strive for excellence. Having joined my school chamber music program when I entered my high school, I met the best pianist I had ever heard that was my age. The pianist is incredible at his craft, and was also a part of the Manhattan School of Music precollege program: he was everything I hadn’t even known I wasn’t. He was experienced in chamber music and helped me learn as first violin how to lead and cue; he helped our group look for concert opportunities; he was so clearly the best in our group and so different to anyone I had met in the music world before. He made me realize just how behind I was musically, but in an inspiring way that made me want to change. I was frustrated that I had settled for half-hearted practice sessions.
After meeting him and deciding to practice violin more seriously, I have come to realize that not only did my playing improve, but also my perseverance, commitment, and time management. I have also gotten to meet so many others since then through chamber music and various other musical opportunities who have affected me in their own individual ways. And best yet, I enjoy the violin more than I ever have now. Instead of it being a chore like before, I practice because I know that I still want to be like that pianist from seventh grade, and maybe even be that kind of inspiring existence to someone else.
As a young person I wish to make a difference by advocating for a change in my community. The change I wish to see in the music field is for students across the city to have the opportunity to practice and perform with one another. Usually people are confined to one community (school, their music teacher/studio, etc.) when it comes to interacting with other musicians. The change I wish to see in the music field is for students across the city to be able to play with one another and help each other grow. By meeting others not in their immediate community, young musicians can get an even better feel for the music world in a way that they may not have been able to if they weren’t able to meet other musicians like (or unlike) themselves.
I am advocating for a program that brings together youth musicians of all levels to play chamber music together and provides them with a professional musician for guidance in addition to performance opportunities so that they may improve as performers as well.
Please join me in making this possible and thank you for supporting my music advocacy project. If you have any questions please let me know as I would welcome the opportunity to speak further.
Sincerely,
Jane Robinson
