A 17-year-old senior from Groves High School is currently working on a digital platform extension of Connect Me that helps students with music education. This new music tutoring program, called MusicConnect, strives to reach low-income middle and high school students and ultimately provide them with free music education.
Baran Gurun, the passionate and remarkably musically-talented 17-year-old, is an advanced cellist of nine years and plays for his school’s symphony orchestra. Also currently a mentor for the Berkshire Middle School Honors Orchestra, he designed this program not only to broaden accessibility to music education, but to contribute to the importance of encouraging young students to pursue music.
Students are encouraged to play an instrument as early as elementary school. School orchestras and bands are excellent for nurturing music education, however, a music classroom typically consists of dozens of students with only one instructor. These class periods generally range from an average of 45 minutes to an hour, and much of this time is spent learning new music, preparing for upcoming school concerts and performances, and practicing with the rest of the group. On account of this, many students lack the one-on-one time they may need in order to succeed with playing their instrument.
One solution that is widely recommended for these students to flourish in these music programs is enrolling for private lessons. These lessons, however, are commonly expensive and out-of-budget for many families.
“That is why the idea for MusicConnect was born,” Gurun proclaims. “I truly believe that music education shouldn’t be a privilege. Any student who wishes to excel in his/her musical journey should be able to get [the] support and help they need.”
MusicConnect is collaborating with Connect Me Tutoring to reach more students and make a broader impact through music education. With Connect Me’s established digital platform, MusicConnect will be able to achieve its goals and fulfill its potential.
This program utilizes the expertise of high school band and orchestra members as volunteer instructors. Operating on a volunteer basis, these instructors will get paired with a student based on the instrument they play and will provide them with free one-on-one online music tutoring via Zoom.
Although these dedicated high school music instructors are unpaid, they find great value in their service through community service hours. This program awards volunteer hours to these high school orchestra and band members, allowing them to earn credit while helping students pursue their musical interests.
Baran, currently recruiting more tutors for MusicConnect, stresses on the importance of having tutors who play a diverse array of instruments:
“The more variety of instruments we have, the more help and support we can provide.”
MusicConnect’s future plans and goals include having more tutors who play different instruments and reaching more students on a national level. While still in development, the program has big, meaningful ambitions for the future.
Baran also hints on organizing potential concerts, expressing, “During Covid, we learned that anything is possible online.”
MusicConnect is all about making music education affordable and accessible in a fresh, game-changing way. Through the dedication of volunteers and the reach of digital technology, this program has the power to transform music education in underserved communities, inspiring a new generation of musicians and sparking a lifelong love for music.
“Beyond individual successes, our collaboration with Connect Me will create an amazing community of musicians. Couldn’t wait to see this community grow,” Baran leaves on a final note.
Author: Diksha Lal
