In the Clayton School District students have access to a wide variety of educational enrichment programs from elementary school onward. Students in the St. Louis Public School District rarely have access to as many of these opportunities.

Making Music Matters, an organization founded by CHS 2010 alum Ken Zheng, offers a classical violin music program to inner city students who have no orchestra programs at their schools. 
 Zheng began the program the summer after graduating high school. Balancing the program with studies at Washington University, Zheng teaches violin at Stevens Middle School once a week. The United Way of Greater St. Louis assisted Zheng in starting the program.

“United Way helped us find a school to begin our program at, for which I am very grateful,” Zheng said.

The program’s curriculum is being developed by Zheng and two other “teachers,” students who attend John Burroughs School, Ginna Doyle and Laura Cooper. The three teachers use the Essential Elements for Strings book with supplemental material they find online. Though all three are accomplished violinists, developing a curriculum is new to them.

“The one short hour we have with the students flies by each week,” Zheng said. “At first, I thought I would have to work hard to find material to fill that time, but by the time you get there, greet the students, and set up the stands and violins, there really isn’t much time left.”

Making Music Matters has received support from sources such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, which has donated supplies for the students. “While our program is fairly small, I’m always on the lookout for ways to expand,” Zheng said. “I wholeheartedly appreciate the support of the Symphony. We’re also looking for more high school and college students to volunteer as violin teachers for an hour a week.”

Cooper, who is a senior, joined the program as a teacher roughly three weeks after it began.

“I really enjoy working with the kids,” Cooper said. “It’s really a unique intellectual challenge to figure out how to teach someone something that you’ve been doing for so long that it feels natural.”

Shana Renshaw, Community Collaborative Specialist at Stevens Middle School, is in regular contact with Zheng about the program and feels that the program is going very well.

“Many students are finding the desire to cultivate this new-found talent,” Renshaw said. “Most have had little instrumental music exposure and no exposure to the violin prior to this experience.”

Cooper taught violin nearly every week last semester despite being busy with college applications. In teaching violin to students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity, Cooper knows she makes a difference in their lives.

“I’m really inspired by the talent and drive of the kids,” Cooper said. “I feel like I owe it to them to be there every week and be a consistent figure. I want to encourage them to do something that they’re doing very well. I’m try to be friendly and fun with them so they enjoy the learning process.” Renshaw sees the students before and after the teachers arrive.

“The students are very receptive and interested,” Renshaw said. “They continually express concern about access to their instruments and when class is going to be held. Many times they rush the instructors as soon as they arrive before giving them a chance to set up.”

During first semester, students learned the basics of violin. Second semester, Zheng plans on teaching them more about string-crossing and bow usage.

“In this program, I’ve learned a lot of things,” student Taquerrah Washington said. “I have learned to read the music that I’m playing. It is actually fairly easy. I have also learned how to pluck the strings in order to play the violin. Just don’t pluck them too hard or they’ll snap. I have confidence in my playing ability as well as my ability to make music.” While teachers and students both enjoy the time they have each week, Zheng believes that Making Music Matters is more than having fun with music.

“A 2004 Stanford University study showed that mastering a musical instrument improves the way the human brain processes parts of spoken language,” Zheng said. “In order to convince the district administrators that the program is worth the effort, we have to show that it’s having an impact inside the classroom as well.”

At the end of last semester, the students performed in a small concert for their school.

“I hope to have at least one concert every semester to encourage the students,” Zheng said. “It’s important for them to see the results of their hard work. This semester, we also want to take them on a tour of Powell Hall to see what classical music is like on a professional level.”

Renshaw is excited with the continuation of the program this semester and would like to keep it going. Zheng also wants to expand to one or two other inner-city schools by next year.