Meet a volunteer: The Horace Mann Music & Social Club
The Horace Mann Music & Social Club was founded over a year ago by volunteers Darren Morgan, William Gage Davis, Ed Hernandez, Josh Levine and Christopher Wong – a group committed to inspiring and engaging youth through music. Since then, every Tuesday at Horace Mann Middle School is “Music Day,” a day when students can look forward to meeting as a group and learning how to beat a drum, blow into a reed, or make a D chord. Throughout the year, students collaborate to produce a final music project.
“Exposure to music for many kids is like tasting ice cream for the first time,” says teacher Jeff Steeno. As the students learn new instruments, their “curiosity is sparked, self-esteem is enhanced, and creativity thrives.”
Darren, William, Ed, Josh and Christopher show up with tireless enthusiasm and dedication every week despite hectic work schedules, offering consistent one-on-one time with an adult that is often missing for students.
According to Steeno, the Horace Mann Music & Social Club provides kids with a meaningful creative outlet, offering them “fresh outlooks to old problems” and finding ways to keep them engaged in school and in learning. The music instructors become instant mentors to the kids “when the instruments are put down and students talk about what is on their minds.”
