Today we’d like to introduce you to Young String Mentors. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Young String Mentor’s primary goal since the beginning was to increase the accessibility of music education to the youth. Young String Mentors started as a group of five high schoolers who made YouTube videos about tone and vibrato. Later, we strived to have a more direct, tangible impact on our community. Therefore, our first initiative was to create recorder curricula and recorder packs to donate to youth in our community. Through performing at venues and getting donations, we spread our message and gained funding for our initiatives.
As of today, Young String Mentors has donated 523 recorder packs to Title 1 elementary schools, after-school/summer programs, and children in India, and we are working on donating 250+ music books to middle school orchestra programs and children’s hospitals. On the side, we perform music for people of all ages, religions, and more by choosing music that resonates with each audience.
Today, Young String Mentors have 25 dedicated members who participate in performances all across North Texas, assemble hundreds of recorder packs, and more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Young String Mentor’s main struggle was promoting our initiative, especially to schools. Initially, it was difficult to effectively express our value because many of the schools have existing music programs. Therefore, we needed to explain how our recorder packs could be successfully incorporated into the school’s current music education.
YSM has gotten to this point through hundreds of emails and phone calls, with many being turned down or left without a reply. For example, we would receive one response for every 15 emails. However, experiencing this obstacle has allowed us to gain confidence in our outreach abilities and improve our outreach approach, leading to incredible opportunities.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Young String Mentors?
Something that makes Young String Mentors unique is the approach to our initiative. Many music-based organizations focus on donating advanced-level instruments, such as violins, cellos, drums, etc., which we greatly support. However, Young String Mentors’ focus is on the importance of entry-level instruments. Millions of students are introduced to music and instruments by playing the recorder in elementary school. Therefore, our mission was to provide the easy-to-learn, accessible resources that open the door to music for youth.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The origin story of Young String Mentors began due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Young String Mentor’s founder, Cieun Lee, had limited access to performing her violin due to quarantining. Therefore, she began to explore music beyond performance, particularly the psychology behind it. With this newfound interest, she wrote a paper on the effects of music education on youth well-being and began to gain a passion for this topic. Through extensive research, she learned about music education inequity, which can hinder children’s psychological well-being, fine motor skills, and confidence. Therefore, Young String Mentors was formed to allow every child in North Texas to experience music and access music education.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/youngstringmentors?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@youngstringmentors931
