Opportunities and Reflections
Music Mentor/Mentee program
Are you a young musician looking to improve your skills and reach your full potential? Look no further! Our music mentor/mentee program, led by the talented members of the Almaden Youth Musicians (AYM), is here to help you succeed.
The AYM members, all of whom are highly skilled classical musicians, are eager to share their knowledge and experience with you. They have a passion for helping their community through music, and have dedicated themselves to performing chamber music, duets, trios, and quartets at local senior centers and nursing homes.
In addition to their dedication to giving back through music, the AYM members have also achieved great success in various competitions, such as American Portage, US International Open Music Competition, and VOCE. With their guidance, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from some of the best and take your music to the next level.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to work one-on-one with talented music mentors. Sign up now and start your journey to musical greatness!
Reflections
David Chong
Class of 2016 Leland High School
“Share the Love through Music.” That’s our mission. Although AYM is composed of youth high school and middle school students, it is full of compassion and service. In hindsight, I am proud of the efforts of AYM; we helped our community by performing for senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and fundraisers. One distinct incident proved to me that we were truly comforting people with music. After performing Wonderful Peace and The More Love to Thee an elderly woman came up to me. She smiled warmly and said, “ It’s been so long since I’ve heard those hymns. Thank you so much for sharing them with me.” Later, I met an elderly man and found out that he graduated from Leland High School; AYM was not only connecting with others through music, but also simply taking the initiative to help locals. Initially, I didn’t know if our performances were helping anyone. If it were not for the elderly woman, I would have continued to believe our music was meaningless. I know AYM is still young, however, I hope it grows and matures, continuing to “share the love through music” as I have learned to.
AYM was an invaluable experience for me as I not only learned of the power of music by playing for people living in senior centers and nursing homes, but I was also introduced to the different conditions in which others around me were living. I had expected live music to be a definite part of everyone’s lives – something that surely everyone would have access to. However, while going around and playing my repertoire to those nearby me, I realized how much of a privilege it was for me to be able to not only hear, but also play music that people can enjoy. After playing at nursing homes, the residents always welcomed me with warm applause, and it was truly gratifying to see them be comforted with the melodies that I could share with them. I am blessed to be a part of AYM, and I hope it continues to grow and spread music around with each and every passing year!
Sooyoung Park
Class of 2017 Leigh High School
John Chong
Class of 2017 Leland High School
My experience at AYM has been truly humbling. At first, I joined with my brother under the pretense that I was simply going to receive community service hours, but it was until after one of our performances at the Sunnyvale Senior Center when I learned and appreciated the AYM’s selfless intentions. AYM has taught me to be grateful for the things I have and to also be aware of people and my surroundings. Growing with AYM since its germination has definitely given me something to write about for college, but the memories and the experiences could never be fully expressed through words and lines. So, thank you AYM.
Joining AYM was probably one of the best decisions I have made since coming to America. Through all the performances and volunteer events, I discovered the potential of sharing something as simple as music with others. You can see it in the faces of our audiences after every piece; we are giving them something truly special that they will remember for a long time. Participating in AYM has taught me to always look for opportunities to bless others in my daily life; the smallest of kind gestures could make someone’s day. I will never forget all the things we did and all the great people I met here. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to play my instrument to help others.
SueMin Choi
Class of 2017 Lynbrook High School