Mentoring at the SB Symphony:
Interview by Michael Wasserman, Social Action Trustee
Would you share what motivated you to get involved in Social Action activities in CBB?
Everyone comes to a Temple for their own specific needs. I need to feel like I contribute to whatever community I belong in. It has been my experience that a Temple offers an opportunity to give to one’s community in a very hands-on kind of way, with direct action and not a lot of meetings.
Please describe the Symphony Mentoring Program.
The symphony program is a wonderful way to combine a love for children and an appreciation of the symphony. The overused expression “It takes a village to raise a child” is so true. The symphony program offers the windows and doors of this village as it opens possibilities and opportunities of expression and creativity to children who would not otherwise be privy to this experience.
How many CBB members have participated?
So far, approximately 14 members have participated in the program.
How would you describe the experience?
It has been a wonderful yet frustrating experience. I have taken the time to meet with children at Girls Inc., Boys and Girls Club and Transition House, I’ve brought makeshift instruments, talked about the symphony and basically tried very hard to get children to come. I’ve called the high schools, many times without receiving a response. Often, extenuating circumstances have kept the children from attending even after they have committed to being there. However, this is only my personal frustration in trying to make this program as successful as possible. The actual symphony experience has been wonderful and so rewarding even if the numbers are not as I wish they would be.
What sort of feedback have you received from mentees?
The mentees are wonderful. Their comments have had a joyous range. Some of their comments have related the symphony to background music, to a Tom and Jerry cartoon, or to a run through the woods on a stormy day. For some children, it's like a car trip that is fun for the first 45 minutes and then fidget time begins. But like a car trip, even when one is antsy, he still notices cloud formations and the change of topography. When a child attends the symphony, he notices the changes and the instruments and the feelings it all conveys even when he is waiting for the end.
What will this program look like in a year from now? Do you expect any changes?
Of course I expect changes and I don’t know what they will be. However, it is my hope that more children will be offered a new view of music and the world by experiencing what the symphony provides.
From the CBB Bulletin, March 2005