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Music Buddies Program Brings Mentorship to ACPS Students

Music Buddies Program Brings Mentorship to ACPS Students

The Music Buddies 2024 Winter Showcase put the spotlight on 19 orchestra students from Francis C. Hammond Middle School (Hammond), George Washington Middle School (GW) and Charles Barrett Elementary School (Barrett). Through this mentorship program, students from Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) receive a 30- to 60-minute lesson each week from an American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (AYPO) musician.

The program helps elementary and middle school students sharpen their music skills, and also provides the opportunity to perform as a soloist on stage. This experience builds students’ confidence, which carries over into other educational and social opportunities.

The students who participated in the 2024 Winter Showcase were:

Hammond — Viola: Erick Cruz, Shabib Hossain; Violin: Adil Adim, Mariam Elamir, Teresa Garcia, Gianna Hernandez, Samuel Hernandez, Aiden Hunter, Swaiya Marshall, Charlotte Masele, Sara Negusse, Naomi Sheppard, Daniel Waqif, Isabella Yang; Cello: Luniva Desar

GW — Violin: Walter Reppond-Weisz; Cello: Wesley Marvin, Claudia Reading

Barrett — Cello: Evie Anderson

“I am grateful for the Music Buddies program as it creates a space for all students — mentors and mentees — to engage and encourage cooperative learning and build technical skills. It is quite rewarding to see the value in our efforts as it directly supports the recruiting and retention in all ACPS orchestra programs,” Alexandria City High School (ACHS) Orchestra Director Veronica Jackson shared.

Student musicians from area high schools serve as mentors, including ACHS’ Ruth Christino, Sam Espach and Patrick Ostermann-Healey. Jackson and David Tarquine, the strings teacher at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School and William Ramsay Elementary School, serve as instructors.

  • 2023-24