From Bach to Beyoncé, this church orchestra aims to nurture young musicians of color

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – For greater than two years, Ebonie Vazquez looked for a mentor of color for her son, Giovanni, now 11 and obsessed with playing the violin. Now she has found this place within the local church.

New Hope Presbyterian Church, a multi-ethnic congregation led by a black female pastor in Anaheim, California, began a string orchestra in April that welcomes students, including those that can have trouble stepping into and paying for music programs. It is positioned in Orange County, which is essentially affluent.

The Rev. Chineta Goodjoin said her church has had a program devoted to smaller stringed instruments for several years. When Goodjoin’s daughter, Nyla, began playing violin within the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, founded in June 2009 by renowned conductor Charles Dickerson, the pastor was determined to replicate the concept in Orange County under Dickerson’s leadership.

The church orchestra currently has roughly 18 members, ages 9 to 20, who play violin, viola, bass and cello. The orchestra accepts all students without auditions and it’s free of charge. Like the Los Angeles group, the orchestra can be supported by mentors who appear like the young musicians they assist guide.

Ebonie Vazquez says students “seeing themselves reflected in their mentors and teachers” is empowering.

“It’s important that they don’t feel like strangers, but are supported and feel like they belong to the community,” she said. “It has definitely helped my son connect more with music and the craft.”

When Giovanni began talking about music during rehearsal, the boy’s eyes became dreamy and his arms became animated. Even as his words burst with childlike excitement, they reflected the aura of an old soul.

“I just want to be able to express myself in my music and show that I not only have talent, but also put in the time and practice,” he said. “You can change one little thing, one note, and the music will be completely different. You make your own.”

Giovanni said he could play classical music within the church orchestra or chill out with Imagine Dragons. He also plays violin in his school orchestra and within the Los Angeles-based Dickerson Band. He appreciates being part of the church orchestra because “it’s a piece of our community.”

“They encourage young musicians of color and everyone gets a chance to play and maybe even uses it as a springboard to get better and even turn it into a career,” he said.

Giovanni thinks it could be cool to play at Carnegie Hall. He pauses, then adds, “But truthfully, I just want to have a good time with individuals who listen to music and appreciate it. My favorite part is that folks actually benefit from the music.

Melissa Bausley, a cellist who works in finance and volunteers as a mentor, said that as a black woman, she often felt alone in this world.

“Growing up, I never had a teacher who was African American, and I didn’t think it mattered or made a difference,” she said. “But now, as an adult, I would say there is tremendous value in being able to learn from someone who looks like you.”

Dickerson said he began the Los Angeles orchestra when he was approached by a gaggle of students who wanted to play of their city and surrounding area.

“They would have to travel long distances to play in these orchestras where they didn’t know the other kids and felt like weirdos,” he said. “The young children in our communities were always placed in the back row, and the back row was right next to the door.”

“It’s easy to walk out that door,” he added, “when you don’t really feel accepted and you know you’re probably not as talented as others who have minor contacts and have been playing since they were three.”

Goodjoin said she and her husband, Reggie Goodjoin, a jazz musician and church music director, envision an orchestra where “African American children play classical music and do it well.”

“Not modified or watered down shortcuts, but the real deal,” she said. “I like to say they play everything from Bach to Beyonce. We want them to be exposed to all species.”

Children will play sacred and secular music, in addition to works by Black composers, and the orchestra is open to children of all faiths, Goodjoin said.

“They are learning the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and many others who paved this path – an experience they may not get in mainstream schools,” she said.

He believes church is a terrific place to start talking about equality in music.

“We value social justice and equality and believe we are called to help marginalized people and free captives,” Goodjoin said. “And music is freedom.”

The pastor is already receiving positive feedback from parents. One of the boys who played the double bass was about to quit playing because nobody in his school orchestra looked like him.

“His mother said that when he came here, the pressure to play and compete was gone and that she enjoyed watching her son gain self-esteem,” she said.

Carol Nealy, whose 9-year-old son Johnathan plays the violin, said the church has the flexibility to nourish the community – whether through food, spirituality or music.

“Thanks to this program, my children have contact with the violin. It is no longer something untouchable and alien,” she said. “It will have an impact for generations because their children will see their parents play the violin.”

Elizabeth Moulthrop, executive director of El Sistema, a global network of music teaching programs founded in Venezuela, said she has seen similar programs dry up from churches.

“Music and art have always been an important part of the Church,” she said. “It is a natural place to express faith.”

For those looking to advance in the sphere, such programs also offer access to life-changing summer music camps, college scholarships and job opportunities, Moulthrop said.

Dickerson says the orchestras are an attempt to “add value to what we need in our community.”

“The goal is to raise the level of young people and give them a chance for a better life,” he said.

“Many young people think it’s not cool to carry a violin on the street,” he added. “But whenever you play the violin well with other kids such as you, social acceptance begins to emerge. You feel proud as a substitute of ashamed since you don’t shoot the basket.

Dickerson said the Black Church has at all times served as a spot where the community could come together.

“This is the only place in history where we have managed to gather without the interference of other cultures, so to speak,” he said. “The church began banks when black people couldn’t put money in banks. They began newspapers when nobody was prepared to cover our communities. We even began baseball leagues once we were banned from playing.

“If we can get together in a church and form a symphony orchestra, all I can say is thank God.”