DAYTON, Ohio — It’s not every day that kids get the chance to get a free instrument and music lessons, but students in Dayton’s Performing Arts Q the Music program are getting that and much more.
What You Need To Know
- Dayton Performing Arts Q the Music program provides underserved elementary school students with free instruments, lessons and performances
- Ruskin Elementary School students meet daily with their music instructor to help develop their playing skills
- The goal of the program is to help support students grow academically, socially and develop their music skills
- Ebeth Ramirez Jesus is one of the students in the program who will be continuing her music journey at Stivers School for the Arts in the fall
Ebeth Ramirez Jesus, 12, is one of the students in the program. She’s a viola player and began playing when she was in the third grade, but did not stick with it for long.
“I quit, and then I started missing it for a while,” said Ramirez Jesus.
It was her brother who sparked her interest in playing the viola again.
“He played really nice and beautiful and thought what if I could play like that,” she said.
Ramirez Jesus is one of a dozen kids in the Q the Music program. The program, which operates five days per week, provides underserved Ruskin Elementary School students with free instruments and lessons.
This year was a challenge for students like Ramirez Jesus because many of the classes were virtual.
“Online, I couldn’t play with everyone,” she said. “I would just play by myself. It would be one person and then the next person.”
Despite the challenges, Ramirez Jesus said she’s come a long way in her playing abilities. So much so, she was recently accepted into Stivers School for the Arts.
Several of her Ruskin orchestra mates will be joining her there in the fall.
“I’m excited,” she said. “I thought I wasn’t going to get in, but thank God I did and I’m excited for a new school.”
