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This article was written in partnership with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO).
Lauren Gooden started playing the violin when she was four years old. Today, she is 17 and plays the double bass in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO).
“I started out playing one of the smallest instruments, but then I wanted to play the biggest one!” says Gooden. “(The double bass) is much bigger than me and it’s a pain to carry around, but I love it.”
For nearly 70 years, MYSO has provided music programs for kids. The level of musicianship is astounding.
“As our students progress through MYSO they become the best of the best,” says Steve Glynn, marketing director for MYSO. “If you want to be inspired to tears, then I encourage you to see a MYSO performance.”
But the hidden beauty of MYSO’s music programs is that they lead to opportunities and skills that surpass creating beautiful sounds. Research shows that when kids learn to play an instrument they inevitably gain many other skills.
“A lot of MYSO student musicians tell me that they are more organized and more disciplined because of what they learn from MYSO music education that transfers to other areas of their lives,” says Glynn.
Such has been the case for 15-year-old Sal Stein, who plays the violin in a MYSO program.
“I’ve learned healthy communication skills that help me at school with my work and with my parents and friends,” says Stein.
Stein, who moved to the United States from Sinagpore when he was 8 years old, says being involved in a music program helped him assimilate to a new culture and make friends.
“I’ve met some of my best friends (through MYSO) and we’re able to play some really beautiful music together,” says Stein.
In 1956, MYSO had one orchestra and 30 students; today the program enrolls 1,000 young musicians who come from 200 schools, 90 zip codes and up to 14 counties in southeastern Wisconsin.
MYSO provides more than 40 ensemble and enrichment training options in a variety of genres for students of varying skills. Also, it provides financial aid for students in need to extend equitable access to music education and its benefits. Plus, MYSO reaches as many as 6,000 students who attend free outreach concerts – some of whom are hearing live music for the first time in their lives – each year.
The level of commitment MYSO requires of kids is grand. There are no shortcuts to mastering an instrument, and the young musicians have to invest the time.
“In addition to performances and rehearsals students also have lessons,” says Glynn. “Student musicians are here anywhere from a couple of times per week to four-or-five times per week as they grow to be more committed to music and the instrument they play.”
Adela Ramirez is an 18-year-old cellist and MYSO member. She says finding the time and energy to dedicate to music can be a challenge.
“It takes a lot to practice by yourself and (it takes) lots of patience,” says Ramirez.
Lilly Bean, an 18-year-old clarinet player, knew what she was getting into, but wanted to create “amazing music.”
“I wanted a challenge,” says Beane.
The unsung heroes of MYSO, according to Glynn, are the music directors.
“There is so much compassion, respect, empathy and love they bring to their music instruction each day,” says Glynn. “They're the reason our student musicians are so confident in their abilities and in themselves.”
MYSO has received many awards and recognitions, including the prestigious National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. This is the country’s highest honor for after-school youth arts and humanities programs, and it’s presented by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
“Kids walk through the doors here sometimes not knowing what the instrument is that will change their lives forever,” says Glynn.
Such was the case for Ramirez, who says she had no idea what a cello was when she decided to commit to music. “But it was fate,” she says.
Most MYSO musicians attend college and some pursue degrees in music. Ramirez, who is a senior, plans to study cello performance next year and eventually become a music professor.
“By the time they're in high school they're thriving in school, MYSO, and in life. They plan ahead and they have a positive vision for their future,” says Glynn.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
