By Gibron Lockhart, Trumpet Instructor, Native Detroiter, MSU Jazz Studies Major

Detroit parents want the same things for their children as parents everywhere do – a quality education and exposure to positive experiences that prepare them for a successful life.

When I was growing up, my parents filled my weekends with enriching activities. A typical Saturday included Suzuki violin lessons, golf lessons, and math or reading tutoring. After the lessons, our family would visit Detroit’s museums and cultural institutions. And it didn’t stop there. When I got home, my mother and I would work on multiplication tables. Only after completing my enrichment activities could I do what I wanted.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have parents who were so concerned with exposing me to culture and expanding my horizons. They gave me the resources to do anything I want with my life.

Without the tutoring programs, mentorships and vibrant businesses in Detroit, parents would not be able to provide their children with the resources needed to function in today’s world. It’s the trips to the Detroit Science Center and Cranbrook Science Center that open a child eyes to science and test their critical thinking skills. The Henry Ford Museum teaches young people about Detroit’s role in the automobile industry. The Charles H. Wright African American History Museum informs kids about the people that came before them.

Education is dependant upon resources and a willing parent, teacher, or someone to take the time to expose children to the assets that will help facilitate education. That’s why on Saturday mornings I drive from East Lansing, where I’m a Jazz Studies major at Michigan State University, to my hometown, Detroit, to give trumpet lessons to children at MSU’s Community Music School-Detroit (CMS-Detroit).

My students range in age from 9 to 17, and are in the Aspiring Musicians Program (AMP). The lessons are just $5 a week, and financial aid is available through our fundraising. The school’s goal is to turn no child away.

It gives me great satisfaction to work for a university in the City of Detroit, because it allows me to share my experiences with the city’s youth. I am helping to keep Detroit moving by connecting with children through music. Once the connection is made, I have the ability to influence, motivate, educate and mentor those children, leaving an impact that is priceless.

To some people this may seem like no big deal. However, I feel what I’m doing is contributing to Detroit’s youth by giving them exposure to something that just might change their lives. Instead of a young person staying at home on a Saturday morning and watching TV, they can learn something about music, which is a positive enrichment that Michigan State University is offering to the city. Community involvement is what Michigan State University is all about. Without “community,” there are simply no resources for education.

My hope is that music enriches these kids’ lives in the same way it did mine, and that it motivates them to strive for greater things.

Detroit families need resources that support their children’s educational development. MSU’s CMS-Detroit offers parents the chance to give their children access to a world of music and culture that might otherwise be closed to them.

I get as much as I give in working at the Community Music School-Detroit. It’s great to be helping my hometown, and it’s immensely rewarding to give children the gift of music.