While the pandemic is credited with much doom, gloom and depression, it’s also provided innovative ways to overcome challenges. That’s the outlook at Drew Charter School in East Lake, where the school’s unique music program changed for the better after the world went into lockdown two years ago.
Drew is home to the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble that has more than 80 students through middle and high school, taking in-school and after-hours instruction. In the spring of 2020, the program had 13 harps shared among students. Others rented instruments to practice at home, and a few got the chance to check out the program’s collection.
But the nonprofit UYHE, launched in 2000 with two students and one borrowed harp, has since increased its collection to 31, including lap harps that weight about 10 pounds and three full-sized concert grands that stand at 6 feet and weigh up to 90 pounds. The ensemble owns and maintains the instruments while the school has been recruiting the teachers and students since 2014.
“At Drew, harp is part of the curriculum; we’re not a club,” said artistic director Molly O’Roark. “We offer daily harp classes to sixth through 12th grade. And this is the only program we operate. Before the pandemic started, another after school program launched, but it didn’t survive. Our nearest neighbors for harp are in Texas and New Jersey, but we are the largest program at a single school.”
Sixty Drew students take lessons as part of their school day. Another 20 come from around the metro area for the after-school program. Since the program began, O’Roark said she’s had students who continued their harp studies, gotten scholarships and gone on to play professionally. “So our students see people who are doing that and how it’s paying off.”
The idea of getting scholarships has inspired ninth grader Myron Leonard to stick with the harp for four years.
“That sounded good to me when I started in middle school,” he said. “I practice at home, and I’m part of the ASO talent development program where I take lessons with the principal harpist, Elisabeth Remy Johnson. I’d really like to be a musician or a conductor.”
Ninth grader Alex Price has also been playing since sixth grade and plans to stick with it. “It is time consuming; I practice about 10 hours a week,” she said. “But I’ve always thought it was a cool instrument. I really like it when I saw other performers playing. Now I want to major in music.”
Recently, the students presented a formal, in-person holiday concert that included seasonal favorites and a program of Latin American music.
“During virtual school, we did a log of Zoom concerts,” said instructor Jennifer Betzer. “It was great to be able to open up and welcome people back in.”
Information about the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble is online urbanharp.org. Details about Drew Charter are at drewcharterschool.org.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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