School ended hours ago at Carver Elementary in Newport News, yet more than 100 students head for classrooms rather than the bus.
They’ve got instruments in hand.
Third-grader Zaylah Allen has a recorder, while fourth-grader Kiahni Lindsey plays clarinet and fifth-grader José Lopez-Gomez, a cello.
They’re some of the more than 200 city students who participate in a free daily after-school program through the local nonprofit Soundscapes. The program offers opportunities to perform and music education at three locations.
The youngsters will showcase their talents on the big stage at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Ferguson Center for the Arts during a free concert in Christopher Newport University’s Virginia Community Music Festival.
“I wish there had been something like this when I was younger,” said Ciara Baker, Soundscapes supervisor for the second and third graders and a 2014 Norfolk State University graduate with a degree in music.
“Lessons are expensive," Baker said.
The student musicians don’t pay for the polo shirts they wear at performances or their instruments. They are also not charged for the hot meal they receive after school and transportation home.
"We expect everybody to come in, have a good time and work hard and make some good music while enjoying one another.”
The concert, featuring the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and the newly formed Peninsula Youth Jazz Band, includes the debut of a Soundscapes student-created anthem called “Pick Up Your Instruments.”
“We’ve got the Brass and the Winds, Percussion and Strings.
Together we can play most anything.”
The students collaborated on Zoom with another nonprofit, Kid Pan Alley, to write the music.
“It was hard making it make sense and make it rhyme,” said fourth-grader Victoria Johnson.
“It was fun,” Zaylah said. “I like how we came together and made the song.”
Soundscapes introduced the program in partnership with the city 15 years ago. This year’s 122 students from Carver represent an all-time high at one location.
In her 31st year at Carver, fifth-grade teacher Catina Horton-Billups sees the ripple effect of making music on students. Overall attendance is up, she said.
“They’re more active participants in school activities,” Horton-Billups said. “Half of the Student Council is Soundscapes students. Students in our honor society – over half of those students are Soundscapes students.”
She said performing at the Ferguson Center gives them confidence in speaking in front of others. There’s also a correlation between students in Soundscapes and higher SOL scores.
Another bonus, Horton-Billups said: “When they’re reading music, they have to do fractions.”
“We encourage them to not just show what they learned with other people in their own community. We want them to build the community that they’re in and leave a living legacy that’s positive and productive.”
Soundscapes is largely grant-funded with a mission of investing in the community through immersive, engaging music-making and ensemble performances. In addition to Carver, programs take place at Greenwood Elementary and Discovery STEM Academy.
The musicians perform at multiple events, including the Hilton Village Holiday Parade and the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference. Last year, student ensembles participated in 54 performances across Hampton Roads, and they will exceed that in 2025. This is the third year they will be at the CNU festival, which drew nearly 600 people last spring.
Kiahni looks forward to going back.
“It was cool,” she said. “There were seats everywhere. I was kind of nervous but once I started playing, I wasn’t nervous.”
Soundscapes began after cofounder Anne Henry watched a “60 Minutes” feature documenting how a community-based orchestra transformed young lives in Venezuela. She recruited Rey Ramirez from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and they launched Soundscapes with 40 students at Carver.
What started with bucket drums in 2009 served more than 2,000 students by 2024.
Soundscapes prepares kids to audition for the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and the Peninsula Youth Jazz Band.
“We really challenge our students,” Baker said. “We don’t limit them because we believe they can do anything.”
Visit soundscapes.org for more information and to register for the concert.
