We recently caught up with student Diego and his mother, Yenny, to talk about the importance and impact of music education.

Q:  Yenny, how have you seen music impact Diego?

A:  It’s amazing to see the impact music can have on a child. I have seen how it helps him concentrate, including how his mood changes, and also how he finds peace in music. He has always liked music as a child. Now that he plays the violin, I see how much he wants to learn and how he gets when he doesn’t do it correctly, but I’m so proud to see the effort he puts in.

Q:  Has Diego had any major challenges that you are willing to share? If so, how do you believe music has helped?

A:  Ever since he was young, he has always been restless and had a bit of difficulty focusing. However, I have seen a huge difference since he began playing an instrument. He now concentrates and has an interest and dedication for music.

Q:  Why do you feel studying music is important?

A:  Music is a part of life. It has many important benefits such as children discovering that they can achieve their goals and their learning definitely advances. His grades improved when he began playing an instrument.

What Diego had to say about learning music:

Q:  Why do you like music class and playing the violin? Can you share how it makes you feel?

A:  [When I play the] violin, I feel like I’m really smooth. I get to play all kinds of music for my school and I get to present [it]. It’s an honor for me to have the amazing opportunity to have music classes at school. When I’m in music class, I feel like I need to be there because I don’t want to miss any class [so I can get to a] good level. Music is a part of me so I feel happy when I’m playing the violin – I just feel confident, [more] like myself.

Q:  What do you want to be when you grow up?

A:  I want to be a professional violinist and make music for students all around the world. I can even teach classes to kids [who don’t] have [the] opportunity to learn music in schools.