On a cloudy Spring afternoon in the auditorium of the Bernice Mathews Elementary School, students from grades three to five showed off their newfound knowledge of the violin.
These students are a part of the Reno Philharmonic Kids Association (RPAK), a childrens’ program whose mission is to provide free resources to students who would otherwise not have access to music education. RPAK extends its reach to other Title 1 elementary schools in the Reno/Sparks area, including Stead Elementary and Lincoln Park Elementary, where there is a high percentage of students from low-income families.
For fourth grader Giovanny Chacon, this recital was an opportunity to take on a solo.
“You get to show your parents what you learned in the last three or four months [of practice],” he said during an interview after the recital where the audience heard several renditions of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” He got involved because he was introduced to the recorder and loves music.
The RPAK program originally began under the title Celebrate Strings in 2006, and has always had a focus on string instruments such as the violin or cello. The students at Bernice Mathews train on the violin. All of the students have access to free loaner instruments.
These recitals at the local elementary schools also allow parents to see how music can expand their children’s horizons and interests. Giovanny has plans to return to RPAK in the fall even after he graduates the fifth grade. His mother said she noticed a positive impact on both her and her son.
“I am happy because he is usefully busy and learning,” said mom Yesenia Chacon in Spanish. “It is the most recommendable thing because nowadays nothing cannot be obtained thanks to the intensity [of the practice].
That balmy March day, RPAK music instructors Amanda Eckerman and David Haskins accompanied the children on the piano from the stage at Mathews Elementary. They enjoy sharing their knowledge and their excitement with the next generation, they said. In fact, Eckerman has been involved with RPAK for the past 14 years and leads the teaching of music at the Sparks school.
The Reno Phil’s president and chief executive officer, Ignacio Barrón-Viela, who joined the organization last October, attended the RPAK recital for the first time. He shared how as a child he also participated in music programs, but quit for some time. That’s when he realized how much the art had meant to him and knew he needed to return to it.
“When I was three years old, I was gifted a cello,” Barrón-Viela, a Spaniard, said in the auditorium/lunchroom as the parents and young musicians filed out. “I realized music, since very early in my life, was a place for me to heal. It was a place to grow and a place to learn, to develop. It became like the engine of my life.”
Barrón-Viela is very excited about the chance to use his language skills and heritage to further connect to the Latino community about RPAK, especially through orchestral music.
“What I got from the concert was a feeling of fulfillment, joy and satisfaction,” Barrón-Viela said. “The children have to work for the recognition of the work they’ve been doing. And seeing the parents clapping … it’s like a prize for them too, for investing in them, for helping them with their education.”
The after school program’s constructive impact on both the students and parents is clear and it can continue years beyond recitals at an elementary school. The Reno Philharmonic boasts a handful of current musicians who are RPAK alums.
The young executive hopes to support RPAK during his tenure to celebrate what music can bring to the lives of these youth. He encourages parents to register their children.
“Music brings hope, it brings resources and it brings opportunity. And in my opinion, music is a human right. Every child in this world has to have the opportunity to have access to music and our mission with Reno Phil is to give them that opportunity,” Barrón-Viela said.
Reporting by Mariya Dawson and Claudia Cruz