RocMusic

“Music can change the world because it can change people.” -- Bono

I had the pleasure of hearing Alexander Peña present to a group about RocMusic a year ago, and I've subsequently run into him here and there – when he played at Hurd Orchards last year for Violets and Violas, at the University of Rochester Leadership Retreat in Florida this winter, and at his recent concert with Sound ExChange at Artisan Works. He is an extremely engaging and talented young man, and his excitement and passion for music and education are contagious. So when I got an invitation to RocMusic's second annual fundraiser, at the Edgerton Stardust Ballroom (who knew that such a space even existed?), I had to go!

Edgerton Stardust Ballroom

RocMusic, based on El Sistema, a music instruction model begun in Venezuela, offers tuition-free music instruction, focusing on strings, to city kids. El Sistema is a “visionary global movement that transforms the lives of children,” as Alexander so eloquently described it, and RocMusic uses “music as an agent of social development and change in Rochester.” It is a collaboration among the Hochstein School of Music and Dance, Eastman School of Music (ESM), Eastman Community Music School, the City of Rochester, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). It began in 2012 with a grant from the Farash Foundation, in the David. F Gantt Community Center. 

Alexander Peña and one of
the RocMusic students

Alexander had remarked on the contrast between the cultural oasis surrounding the Eastman School and the cultural desert just a few blocks away, and he “wanted to give the gift of immersion in music to kids in the city.” The program has been so successful that next year, it is expanding to the Edgerton Community Center (bringing the total children to 100+), and several of the students have been accepted to the School of the Arts.

Ward Stare and Jamal Rossi

My friend and bridge partner Marie, visiting from Pittsburgh for the regional tournament, accompanied me to the event, where we saw the “who's who” of the Rochester music scene – Ward Stare, Charlie Owens, and Richard Decker, from the RPO, and Jamal Rossi from ESM. Maureen McGuire, from Channel 8 News, MC-ed the evening, and first up were the RocMusic kids. Marie and I both enjoyed their performance, and you could see how proud they and their parents were of their accomplishments. 

RocMusic students performing

The kids displayed poise, confidence, and a comfort with their instruments and being part of an ensemble. They played with real gusto, and received a very hearty round of applause. The program also included performances by musicians from the community, but Marie and I agreed that none was as touching as the simple songs performed by the kids. I would guess that the attention they receive from the RocMusic faculty benefits the children as much as the music lessons themselves, and that they are being nurtured both musically and personally. What a great program to have here in Rochester, and we are lucky to have Alexander Peña at the helm.