Three Irvine school teens share musical experience with Mozart in Me

Knowing the joy that comes with playing a musical instrument in their own lives, three Orange County high school students decided to use their love of music to enhance the lives of children on the autism spectrum.

Beckman High School students Katie Tran, Athena Yang and Adriana Anesi, who all play musical instruments, spent the past 11 months leading sessions for children to learn about listening to and playing instruments.

The three friends, who cleverly dubbed their program “Mozart in Me,” applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the Dragon Kim Foundation to help with providing the experience. The sessions were held at Beach Pediatrics in Huntington Beach, where Tran’s mother works as a pediatrician. Also held at the offices was Saturday’s big ending recital where the new musicians performed for family and friends.

Developed to inspire teens to impact their communities while pursuing their passions, the Dragon Kim Foundation was established by Daniel and Grace Kim to honor the legacy of their son, Dragon, who was 14 when he was killed along with his friend in a camping accident at Yosemite on Aug. 14, 2015.

At the time of his death, Dragon Kim had finished his freshman year at Orange County School of the Arts, where he and some friends were designing a program that would provide musical instrument instruction to underserved members of the community.

Through their foundation, the Kims look to support high school students with the same passion for altruism as their son.

“We came up with this idea because we know there’s a lack of music programs for children, specifically on the autism spectrum,” Tran said. “But through research, it’s proven that music can connect people in so many ways and be beneficial to these kids. It really helps them blossom and open up. So, me and my friends wanted to make music accessible to all these kids.”

Tran, Yang and Anesi, who will all be juniors at Beckman, kicked off Mozart in Me last August with eight volunteers and seven pupils.

Through blasts on social media and word of mouth, the program grew to about 30 volunteers and 25 students.

During a typical session, each volunteer musician was paired with a child for one-on-one instruction.

Volunteers demonstrated a variety of instruments, including violins, cellos, guitars, xylophones, drums, keyboards, violins and bells.

The final 15 minutes of each session was dedicated to circle time, Tran said, when instructors and their pupils sang, danced and played songs together.

“Whether it’s playing the same instrument or just being around them, we make it fun for them,” Tran said. “Our goal is just to create a welcoming environment and community for them where they feel like they belong and they can make friends.”

Tran, Yang and Anesi also used some of the grant funding to purchase instruments for the participants.

At the culminating event on Saturday, July 19, festivities included the recital with the high school musicians and pupils performing several pieces for the families packed into the reception area of the pediatricians’ office.

Christine Nguyen’s daughter, Gracie, 9, entertained the gathering with a violin solo.

“She just played a little bit in school this year,” Nguyen said. “She’s very, very shy and reserved. And then we learned about this program through our pediatrician and friends. We’ve been so grateful because it helps her get out of her shell.”

The application process for the Dragon Kim Foundation is highly competitive, with applicants required to submit a recommendation letter, provide an overview of the project, produce a video and be interviewed before the final selections are made.

Once selected, each project is assigned a business mentor, who checks in regularly for a progress report. The fellowship also includes training weekends to practice leadership and business skills.

“Our Mozart in Me fellowship project reflects the overall mission of the Dragon Kim Foundation to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions,” Daniel Kim said. “The three teens behind this project clearly love music and thought to share its transformative power with children on the spectrum.  They saw a need and took steps to make a positive change.”