Be All Ears: Sharing our Sound

The School District of Philadelphia has been recognized for its work in music education, being consistently received the title as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation (NAMM) for the past four years. The Philadelphia Orchestra also partners with the School District of Philadelphia with programs such as the Jane H. Kesson School Concert Program and the All City Orchestra Summer Academy. In addition, programs such as PMAY, Project 440 (under which Sharing Our Sound was developed), and Play on Philly promote access to classical music lessons and education across the Philadelphia area.

The founders of Sharing Our Sound saw an opportunity to complement all of the existing programs in the district with individualized instrumental training. So, after “many iterations,” as Eric put it, of a project idea (including one to bring music to senior dialysis centers, though COVID precautions would complicate this process), they decided on a final one.

The proposal stemmed from the founders’ personal experiences. Eric recalled being in the Masterman band room, preparing for a flute audition, when he had the opportunity to “analyze” a typical Masterman music group lesson; he spotlit, that, for no fault of the teacher, but rather because of a lack of instructors to meet demand, individualized attention in group instrumental music lessons is not the same as in a one-on-one lesson. Grace corroborated this experience, mentioning the team’s mentor at Project 440, Mr. Imamura, who often finds himself teaching instruments he does not have much experience with. The five members decided they wanted to facilitate personalized instruction for students learning instruments by offering supplemental materials.

Sharing Our Sound’s mentors — typically high-school level players — create these supplemental materials. These include filming videos focused on technique and music theory, making recordings for requested pieces, helping with adding fingerings/other marks to music and giving one-on-one lessons (you can view the videos via this page or YouTube Channel. Besides the rewarding work of spreading the love for music to those who crave it, mentors can also gain service hours. One can sign up as either a mentor or a student—or, if a music teacher, can request supplemental materials—with this page on their website

If you are thinking about starting an instrument, it is never too late! Sharing Our Sound welcomes beginner and intermediate-level music students, and the organization’s founders have some advice. First, if you are deciding whether to start an instrument, Eric suggests seeing a live classical music concert for inspiration — in his opinion, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 will bring you into the field. If you opt to create classical music, Maya recommends looking for the right instrument for you — in her words, one “that you do not want to put down”; Grace agrees with this, hoping you can listen to a wide range of repertoire (for example, Eric suggests that a prospective flute student listens to Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major, a flute classic, or Chaminade's Concertino and Bozza's Imáge for “more romantic style fans”). Apart from the audible component of picking up a musical instrument, Grace and Eric stress the importance of trying the instrument out before you fully commit. Eric also notes finding a teacher you enjoy taking lessons from is key — he remembers how patient his first flute teacher at Masterman was. Now, Eric hopes to pursue music beyond high school. Once you have checked both of these off, Grace also advises making a practice schedule.

If you are interested in, or know someone who may be curious about joining Sharing Our Sound as a student or mentor, head over to the team’s website to begin!