Kids Take Center Stage at Songcatchers Annual Summer Concert

Big smiles and a few tears were on the faces of parents as three weeks of hard work by their children were on full display Friday at the annual Songcatchers summer concert.

Children danced, acted and displayed their musical chops all in a program organized and run by teenage volunteers.  

In Dance with Them, a play written and performed by students, they discussed the importance of hard work over procrastination and the importance of being yourself and having friends who support you.

Other performances highlighted the need to treat our planet with respect and dignity and charged the audience with doing their part through recycling.

“The event was wonderful. It was so worth the time and effort coming here,” said Maria Lopez, one of the many beaming parents from New Rochelle in attendance.

Moms and dads craned their necks to get a shot of their children as they performed long and short pieces on their chosen instruments, that included the piano, drums, flutes, a clarinet, guitars, violins and even ukuleles.

Lorena Guizar’s son Brandon attends the program throughout the year, and the camp gave him a chance to learn a new instrument—the ukulele. The New Rochelle resident not only applied what he learned during the year, but became adept enough to take on the band Train’s hit single Hey Soul Sister, which got a rousing round of applause.

“It’s incredible how wonderful it went. The best part was that it was completely organized and run by volunteers,” said Sister Beth Dowd, executive director of Songcatchers.

The event was the brainchild of 16-year-old Rye native Robert Kim.  He helped organize the teachers and volunteers for the three-week camp that held classes for two hours every afternoon. 

“I got more out of it than I bargained for,” Kim said, adding, “ they have taught me and surprised me more than I have given them. It is so good to see the impact a teacher can have on a student.”

He has already given the program time and effort, but he has taken his role in the program a step further. Kim has arranged that $1 out of every one of his CD sales be donated to the Songcatchers program. So far this has generated $100 for the venture.

“It’s wonderful to have men like Robert and all the volunteers,” Dowd said, emphasizing the role each teacher had on the students. “The ratio of student to teacher was almost even. This let every student get individual attention and let the teachers become sensitive to their needs.”

This was a feeling echoed by parents who after the performance shared snacks with their musically inclined children.

“It is just wonderful to see them grow and learn so much in such a short time,” said Yolanda Valencia of New Rochelle.

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