My Nonprofit Reviews

I joined the Musical Arts Institute my junior year of high school. I was just starting up my own string ensemble at my school and we were debuting for the first time. At the time, the Musical Arts Institute's string ensemble had joined to help my school ensemble and it all turned out great.

That was the first year of me not being in an ensemble or orchestra outside of school, this was all because of issues with time and then I also stopped attending my private lessons. With the kind of school hours I had AND after school activities, I would be getting home around 8pm or 9pm at the latest (on a regular day).

Mr. Michael Manson from MAI was concerned for my well-being as a violinist and encouraged me to play in the MAI string ensemble. If I joined the string ensemble, that would enable me a scholarship that doesn't have me pay for my private violin lessons. I just had to attend rehearsal once a week every Sunday. I decided to join the following year after consulting with my parents and a friend I had made from the ensemble.

The music was a little challenging for me, especially considering I couldn't make enough practice time for myself. However, I tried to make it work and Mr. Manson and my teacher Ms. Lennette Neal pushed me to be a better musician. They teach you more professional levels of musicianship, push you to be more creative, and all while having fun. I made more friends and saw an old friend from my previous orchestra (the music world is pretty small). And, it meant more being that we were all musicians of color. Mr. Manson made a point of searching for black composers for us to play and expose to our community. I could see how much the students and their parents really enjoy hearing from the Musical Arts Institute as a whole.

Overall, I had a great experience. I wish I would've known and joined sooner.