From Bach to Beyonce, why a church orchestra aims to lift up young musicians of color

[December 05, 2024]  By DEEPA BHARATH

ANAHEIM, California (AP) — For over two years, Ebonie Vazquez searched to find a mentor of color for her son, Giovanni, now 11 and passionate about playing the violin. She has now found that space at a local church.

New Hope Presbyterian Church, a multiethnic congregation led by a Black female pastor in Anaheim, California, started a string orchestra in April, welcoming students, including those who may have trouble getting into and paying for music programs. It's located in Orange County, which is largely affluent.

The Rev. Chineta Goodjoin said her church had a smaller strings program for several years. When Goodjoin’s daughter Nyla started playing violin with the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, founded in June 2009 by renowned conductor Charles Dickerson, the pastor grew determined to replicate the concept in Orange County with Dickerson taking the lead.

The church’s orchestra now has about 18 members ranging in age from 9 to 20, playing violin, viola, bass and cello. The orchestra accepts all students without auditions, and it's free. Like the Los Angeles group, the orchestra is also powered by mentors who look like the young musicians they help guide.

Ebonie Vazquez says it is empowering for students “to see themselves reflected in their mentors and teachers.”

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

During rehearsal, when Giovanni started talking about music, the boy's eyes turned dreamy and his arms became animated. Even as his words gushed out in child-like 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 I also take my time, and I practice," he said. “You can change one little thing, one note, and the music will be totally different. You make your own thing.”

Giovanni said that in the church orchestra, he could play classical music or he could chill with Imagine Dragons. He also plays violin in his school orchestra and with Dickerson’s Los Angeles group. He values 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 use it as a stepping stone to get better or even turn this into a career,” he said.

Giovanni thinks it could be cool to play in Carnegie Hall. He pauses, then adds: “But honestly, I just want to play around people who listen to and value music. My favorite part is really to see people enjoy music."

Melissa Bausley, a cellist who works in finance and volunteers as a mentor, said she often found herself alone as a Black woman in this realm.

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

Dickerson said he started the Los Angeles orchestra when he was approached by a group of students who yearned to play in their city and neighborhood.

“They would have to drive long distances to be in these orchestras where they didn’t know the other kids and felt like the odd ones,” he said. “The young kids from our communities were always put 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 when you know you’re probably not as skilled as the others who have a smattering of connections and have been playing since they were three.”

A string orchestra, part of an initiative to promote equity in classical music, poses for a group photo at New Hope Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

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

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

The children will play sacred and secular music as well as the work of Black composers, and the orchestra is open to children of all faith backgrounds, Goodjoin said.

“They learn the music of Count Basie and Duke Ellington and so many others who have forged the path — an experience they might not get in a mainstream school setting,” she said.

She believes the church is a great place to start talking about equity in music.

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

The pastor is already getting positive feedback from parents. One boy who plays the upright bass was about to quit playing because no one in his school orchestra looked like him.

“His mom said that when he came here, the pressure to play and compete was taken off and that it’s a delight to now watch her son light up feeling a sense of worthiness,” she said.

Carol Nealy, whose 9-year-old son Johnathan plays the violin, said the church has the ability to nourish the community — be it with food, spirituality or music.

“Because of this program, my kids are exposed to the violin. It’s no longer something untouchable or foreign,” she said. "It’ll have an impact for generations because their children will see their parents pick up and play the violin.”

Elizabeth Moulthrop, executive director of El Sistema USA, part of an international network of music education programs that originated in Venezuela, said she has seen similar programs run out of churches.

“Music and art have always been such an important part of the church,” she said. “It’s a natural place for expression of faith."

For those who aspire to advance in the field, such programs also offer access to life-changing summer music camps, college scholarships and connections to jobs, Moulthrop said.

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

“The goal is to uplift young people and give them the opportunity for a better life,” he said.

“A lot of young people feel like it’s not cool to carry a violin down the street,” he added. “But, when you play the violin well with other kids who are like you, social acceptance begins to emerge. You feel pride as opposed to shame because you’re not out there shooting hoops.”

The Black Church has always served as a place where the community could come together, Dickerson said.

“It’s the one place in history where we’ve been able to assemble without interference from other cultures, so to speak,” he said. “The church started banks when Blacks could not put money in banks. They started newspapers when no one was prepared to cover our communities. We even started baseball leagues when we were barred from playing.

“If we can come together in the church and create a symphonic orchestra, all I can say is all praise to God.”

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