THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR OFTEN MEANS YEAR-END CONCERTS FOR STUDENT ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS.

FOR HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC EDUCATOR ANNIE RAY, IT’S TIME TO LOOK BACK ON A BUSY YEAR THAT INCLUDED A GRAMMY AWARD, AND AHEAD AT HER VISION OF WHAT EDUCATION SHOULD BE.

ALI ROGIN IS BACK WITH THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF OUR SERIES WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT.

♪ ALI: THE ORCHESTRA PROGRAM AT ANNANDALE HIGH SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA IS EXPANSIVE — ♪ ANNIE RAY: PUT YOUR BOW ON THE PURPLE STRING.

ALI: AND INCLUSIVE.

IT’S BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS AND HAS GROWN TO MORE THAN 130 PARTICIPANTS, MANY OF WHOM SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE AT HOME.

ANNIE RAY: I WILL GIVE YOU THREE AND THEN WE ARE IN.

ALI: IT’S ALL CONDUCTED UNDER THE ENCOURAGING BATON OF DIRECTOR ANNIE RAY.

ANNIE RAY: I’VE LITERALLY BEEN BROUGHT INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES, OR LIKE FED BY THESE FAMILIES TRADITIONS, TRADITIONAL KOREAN MEALS WHEN I’M PREGNANT, WHERE THEY’RE LIKE, YOU NEED TO BE EATING OR LIKE TAKING CARE OF ME.

AND IT’S BEEN THE MOST HUMBLING THING TO BE EDUCATED BY THESE COMMUNITIES OF DIVERSITY, NOT JUST IN COUNTRIES, BUT BACKGROUNDS, AND, AND PERSPECTIVES.

ALI: I HAVE FOUND THAT LANGUAGE AND MUSIC KIND OF GO HAND IN HAND.

AND SO I JUST WONDER IF THAT’S SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE EXPERIENCED, BECAUSE I KNOW MANY OF YOUR STUDENTS DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH AT HOME.

ANNIE RAY: YES.

IT’S SO INTERESTING BECAUSE THERE ARE A BUNCH OF STUDENTS WHO I WILL SEE TRY TO PLAY BY EAR, AND A LOT OF MAYBE THE MUSIC IN THEIR COUNTRY IS LIKE PLAYED BY EAR OR LIKE THAT’S JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE MORE OF AN EAR TO WHEN PICKING UP LANGUAGES.

IT IS INTERESTING.

I’VE ACTUALLY SEEN A CORRELATION WITH WITH SOME OF MY ELL LEARNERS OR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WHO ARE, TRY TO LEARN LIKE THROUGH THAT ORAL TRADITION, BY THE EAR A LOT OF WAYS.

YEAH, CELLO!

ALI: WE SAT IN ON THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S FINAL PRACTICE BEFORE THEIR END OF YEAR CONCERT – – DESIGNED TO EMBRACE THE MULTI-CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS OF ITS PARTICIPANTS.

ANNIE RAY: I HAVE A STUDENT NAMED SOSAN WHO IS INCREDIBLE.

AND SHE HAD SO MUCH JOY WITH TEACHING OUR CLASS ABOUT MUSIC FROM, LIKE, HER COUNTRY AND ARABIC MUSIC.

I HEARD SOSAN OVER AND OVER AGAIN ENCOURAGING OTHER STUDENTS.

I WAS LIKE, WELL, I NEED MORE STUDENT SPEAKERS TONIGHT.

AND THEY’RE LIKE, NO, NO.

AND SHE WAS LIKE, WHY AREN’T YOU PROUD OF YOUR CULTURE?

AREN’T YOU PROUD?

DON’T YOU WANT TO SHOW EVERYBODY?

AND THEN THEY’RE LIKE, WE CAN’T.

I’M PROUD OF US.

SHE WAS LIKE, THEN TELL EVERYONE ABOUT IT.

AND SO MUCH OF LIKE, HER AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUDENTS WHO ARE LIKE THAT HAVE SET THE TONE FOR WHAT OUR PROGRAM IS OF LIKE, BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF IT.

ROCKET OUT.

ALI: THAT THEME OF PRIDE IS EVIDENT IN THE “CRESCENDO ORCHESTRA” AS WELL.

FORMED SOMEWHAT FORTUITOUSLY DURING THE PANDEMIC, IT’S FOR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT AND SEVERE DISABILITIES.

ANNIE RAY: I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO START IT IN THIS KIND OF LIKE WEIRD ABYSS TIME DURING THE PANDEMIC, DURING COVID, NOBODY WAS HERE.

AND EXCEPT FOR OUR STUDENTS IN OUR CATEGORY B SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

SO I INVITED THEM DOWN TO MAKE SOME MUSIC WITH ME BECAUSE I WAS JUST WANTING TO MAKE MUSIC WITH ANYBODY WHO’S AROUND ME INSTEAD OF JUST ONLINE.

WE STARTED MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER AND PLAYING TOGETHER, AND THE STUDENTS INSPIRED ME.

AND I THEN WALKED DOWN TO MY PRINCIPAL AND SAY, HEY, I WANT TO MAKE THIS AN ACTUAL CLASS.

LIKE, THESE STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO A QUALITY MUSIC EDUCATION, AND THE ONLY REASON IT’S TO THE POINT IT IS NOW IS, BECAUSE OF MY SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAM, MY INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS, THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, WHO REALLY TAUGHT ME EVERYTHING THAT THEY KNOW.

AND, WE JUST APPLIED IT TO MUSIC.

ALI: IT REALLY TAKES A VILLAGE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WHEN YOU ALL ARE WORKING TOGETHER LIKE WE DID THIS MORNING.

ANNIE RAY: WE AS MUSIC EDUCATORS CAN’T DO THINGS ALONE.

ALI: ONE STUDENT IN PARTICULAR – – KEVIN JARAMILLO — WAS THE SPARK THAT LIT THE CRESCENDO ORCHESTRA’S FIRE.

ANNIE RAY: KEVIN WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS WHO CAME DOWN THE, THAT FIRST DAY.

I BROUGHT THEM ALL DOWN, AND HE SO UNHAPPY TO BE THERE.

HE WAS MAD THAT YOU SPLIT OUT OF HIS ROUTINE.

BUT WE WE SAT DOWN, AND I STARTED PLAYING THE CELLO FOR HIM, AND HE REPEATEDLY STARTED SAYING, ME, ME.

AND HE DOESN’T, VERBALIZE MUCH.

AND SO I WAS LIKE, OKAY, WELL, HERE, HERE WE GO.

KEVIN, YOU CAN TRY PLAYING.

AND HE PULLED THE BOW OUT OF MY HAND AND HE STARTED GOING BACK AND FORTH AND TEARS STARTED WELLING UP IN HIS EYES.

AND IT WAS THIS MOMENT WHERE I WAS LIKE, WOW, HE IS — WE ARE CONNECTING SO MUCH HERE RIGHT NOW.

I’VE GOTTEN SO MANY KIND EMAILS FROM THESE PARENTS OR SPOKEN WITH THEM WHERE THEY’RE LIKE, MY CHILD SEEMS SO UNHAPPY ALL THE TIME, BUT HERE HE ISN’T.

OR THERE MIGHT BE A STUDENT WHO STRUGGLES IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE DAY, BUT HERE SHE’S SO INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL AND FLOURISHING.

BUT THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY KID AND EVERY KID’S LEARNING, AND THEIR PROCESS LOOKS DIFFERENT.

AND SO WE NEED TO MEET EVERYONE WHERE THEY ARE AT, BUT THEN BESIDES THAT, PULL THEM ALONG FURTHER THAN THEY EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE, HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THEM.

KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET TO THESE HIGH PLACES OF LEARNING.

ALI: RAY HOLDS ALL OF HER STUDENTS TO THOSE HIGH STANDARDS.

IT IS PART OF WHY HER COLLEAGUES NOMINATED HER FOR THE MUSIC EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR GRAMMY AWARD.

SHE WON I GOT TO ATTEND THE AWARD SHOW IN FEBRUARY, SNAPPING SELFIES WITH STARS WHO WERE EXCITED TO MEET HER, BUT THE MAIN THING HER WIN DELIVERED IS A NEW AUDIENCE AND PLATFORM FOR RAY’S MESSAGE THAT MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS SHOULD BE A CORE SUBJECT IN SCHOOLS, NOT JUST AN OPTION.

ANNIE RAY: WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RIGHT NOW, THIS IS THIS HUGE BUZZWORD.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IS HAPPENING SO AUTHENTICALLY THROUGH THE PERFORMING ARTS, THROUGH THE ARTS, THROUGH CREATIVITY AND TAPPING INTO THESE KIDS.

I WATCH KIDS WHO MIGHT COME FROM VERY CHALLENGING BACKGROUNDS OR VERY CHALLENGING SITUATIONS WHO STEP THROUGH THAT MY DOOR AND THEY MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OPPOSED TO IT, BUT THEN THEY COME IN A LITTLE BIT MORE AND A LITTLE BIT MORE.

NEXT, I KNOW THEY’RE RUNNING THE WHOLE PROGRAM, THE ORCHESTRA LEADERSHIP AND MAKING IT WHAT IT IS.

IT’S NOT JUST A MUSIC EDUCATION ISSUE, IT’S AN EDUCATION ISSUE OF NOT FUNDING ENOUGH FOR ALL TEACHERS.

AND SO I DO CALL FOR LIKE MUSIC EDUCATION TO BECOME MORE OF A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO A STUDENT’S EDUCATION, A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF WHO THEY ARE.

♪ ALI: FOR THE ANNANDALE CLASS OF 2024 ORCHESTRA MEMBERS, IT WAS TIME FOR ONE FINAL PERFORMANCE.

ONE FINAL BOW.

AND ONE FINAL EXAM.

ANNIE RAY: I’M SAYING GOODBYE TO CLOSE TO 40 SENIORS WHO ARE THE REASON THAT ANNANDALE ORCHESTRA IS THE WAY THAT IT IS.

THEY SET THE TONE FOR WHAT ORCHESTRA IS OR FOR WHAT WE DO HERE, THE PURPOSE OF US HERE.

AND SO THE I SENT OUT THEIR FINAL EXAM, AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WAS LIKE, CAN YOU DESCRIBE ORCHESTRA IN ONE WORD?

AND, SO MANY OF THEM SAID COMMUNITY AND HOME.

AND THE FACT THAT THEY DIDN’T SAY SCALES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, I WAS LIKE, YES, THEY GOT IT.

BUT TO READ THEIR MESSAGES.

HAS BEEN AGAIN, ONE OF THE MOST HUMBLING THINGS OF MY LIFE.

ALI: AND AS THOSE SENIORS EMBARK ON NEW JOURNEYS, THEY KNOW THEY CAN ALWAYS COME HOME, TO THEIR ORCHESTRA FAMILY AND TO ANNIE RAY.

FOR PBS NEWS WEEKEND IN ANNANDALE, VIRGINIA, I’M ALI ROGIN.