Emily Orchestrates a Musical Gift

by Sheryl Kayne
American Profile Magazine

When 13-year-old Emily took the stage during a performance with the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra (GNOYO) in June, she received a hero's welcome. The young violinist traveled from her home, not just to perform, but to see firsthand the results of her charitable efforts - a gift of musical instruments, equipment and more than $2,000 for music lessons.

The idea began last year as Emily's mitzvah (an act of kindness) project, which was part of her bat mitzvah, a ceremony in the Jewish faith commemorating becoming an adult. Because Emily loves music and plays the violin, she wanted her project to combine her passion for music with helping others in need.

"Emily told me about her mitzvah project," says her violin teacher Richard Errante. "I had just attended a Norwalk  Youth Symphony concert. The audience was asked to give $1 each to help GNOYO in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. When Emily heard that, it was as if a light clicked on in her brain.

Using the Internet, she contacted Marianna Roll, the GNOYO's executive director. "Emily explained her project in an e-mail and I responded with a very wishful list," Roll says. The youth orchestra needed instruments, music stands, strings, books and bows because most of the items were destroyed during the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina last year.

Emily went to work, devoting her every free moment after school and on weekends for seven months. She called area music stores, which donated music stands, rosin, clarinet reeds and violin strings. At her middle school, she asked her orchestra teacher if she could set out a box for students to donate musical instruments. She also sent newsletters and e-mails to temple members, friends and family asking for contributions.

"I am so proud that Emily understands the true meaning of giving back," says her mother, Cindy.

Emily fulfilled and exceeded Roll's original wish list, collecting 27 instruments, loads of musical equipment and $2,072, enough to provide one year of private lessons to a youth orchestra student in financial need. She even convinced United/Mayflower Van Lines to ship the items to New Orleans for free.

At Roll's request, Emily penned a letter to the orchestra, whose membership had dwindled from 250 to 125 after Hurricane Katrina. "I love music and wanted to help your orchestra because I know how much all of you love music," she wrote. "After reading and learning about GNOYO, I realized what a wonderful orchestra it was and wanted to help you get it back to its original state before Hurricane Katrina."

"When I heard her letter, I was so moved," says orchestra member Emily Menard, 16, of New Orleans. "We have the same name and both play the violin. I have friends here without houses, and it was so encouraging to have someone from so far away who didn't even know me to want to do something so touching and loving."

After reading the letter, Roll invited Emily to New Orleans to perform with the orchestra in a summer concert held at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts in June. "It was really cool playing with the orchestra I had helped," says Emily, who was presented with a giant "Thank You" card from the orchestra. "Not just adults, but kids kept coming up to tell me that they thought what I'd done was really amazing, and greatly appreciated."

Emily's charitable project couldn't have come at a better time. "Being a nonprofit is always hard, but being a nonprofit after Katrina in New Orleans is extremely hard," Roll says. "Our local sources dried up and it's people like Emily who make such a very big difference."

Pulling Strings

by Chris Brown
The Times-Picayune

Last year, when 13-year-old violinist Emily saw news reports of Hurricane Katrina's effects on New Orleans, she could think of only one thing: What could she do to help young musicians whose lives were now severely out of tune?

"I talked to my private violin teacher, who put me in touch with our local youth orchestra, who had just finished raising some money for the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra," Emily said. "So I went home and did a little online research about the program, and it was just perfect."

Emily then began her effort to assist her counterparts in New Orleans. In all, she raised $2,500 and collected 27 instruments, more than 100 folding music stands, and many boxes filled with music books, woodwind reeds and other supplies to help GNOYO bring the music back to the city.

GNOYO Executive Director Marianna Roll was thrilled to present Emily's gifts at the organization's 2006 Summer Festival, held this month at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts/Riverfront.

"Emily's efforts show how music is such a powerful tool that connects people who wouldn't otherwise have a direct connection," Roll said. "From hundreds of miles away, music brought people together."

"I decided to do this project because of my bat mitzvah," Emily said. "Most people donate clothes to a homeless shelter or help out at a soup kitchen, but I wanted to do something that was really, truly special to me."

Emily noted that for a bat mitzvah reception, hundreds of dollars often are spent per table on centerpieces that end up in the trash bin when the party is over.

"The instruments and musical supplies I collected, before getting shipped down to New Orleans, were used to decorate my tables," Emily said.

After her bat mitzvah, Emily headed to New Orleans to prepare for a week with GNOYO and to present the local nonprofit organization with her collected items.

It was her first visit to the city, and she was given a tour of the 9th Ward, which she found to be shocking and sad. But she also toured the French Quarter, which she found to be enchanting.

"It was really beautiful. As we walked around, it surprised me that in every bar there was a live band playing. I thought that was neat," Emily said.

For the next week, Emily joined some 60 young New Orleanians at GNOYO's summer camp, a staple on the New Orleans music landscape for eight years. For seven hours a day, students ages 8 to 19 work with professional instructors and guest musicians; at the close of each day, students perform recitals with their instructors to demonstrate what they have learned. The fruit of their labors is put on display at a public concert at the conclusion of the week. This year's concert featured performances of works by Saint-Saen, Schubert, Ravel and Brahms and themes from the "Harry Potter" movies.

"Last year was a record-breaker in attendance," Roll said. "This year attendance was down for obvious reasons, but we still had displaced students traveling in from as far as Mississippi."

There was a special kind of energy in the rehearsals this year, as kids were thrilled to see familiar faces and happy to be making music again, Roll said: "For many of these students, GNOYO offered one of the few opportunities for a sense of normalcy. Kids could abandon their new pressures and escape into the world of beautiful and timeless orchestral music."

While Emily's donations were a special help, GNOYO's Endangered Instruments Program is an ongoing effort to assist needy young musicians, Roll said.

"There are many young people in the area who have the desire and talent but not the financial means to pursue their interest," she said. "GNOYO provides instruments when necessary, offers those students financial assistance to take private lessons, and 90 percent of those students receive scholarships to study music at the collegiate level."

It's all about the music.

"The musician kids were very much the same in New Orleans as in �my town�," Emily said. "Although we've all been through such different experiences, we all seem to love music the same way. I felt so accepted and it was so neat to be able to have this experience with them. I felt so honored that I was able to help so many kids get their music back into their lives."

Visit Emily's website for photos, video and more information!