Music for Families Outreach

A Personal Journey

by Melisse Leib

I started teaching Music Together in June of 2003. I was, and still am a Software Engineer, and I was looking to express my creativity, musicality and desire to be with children. The experience brought passion to my life, allowing me to embody my musical inner child.  But I also saw how Music Together created community, family bonding and joy and wanted to bring it to families who could not afford that opportunity. With that goal in mind I co-founded the outreach program with Kristine Ortega.

The outreach program began in January of 2005 at Colorado Park Apartments, a subsidized housing site in Palo Alto, where I volunteered my time to give a class to nine low-income children and their parents and charged a nominal materials fee. In April 2005, I moved the program moved to the Castro School Early Education program, where it continues today.

The Castro School Early Education program serves approximately 200 low-income, predominantly Hispanic children aged 3-5. Many of the parents speak little or no English, and some are even functionally illiterate in their native Spanish. There are three programs that we serve:

California State Preschool , a state-funded program for low-income families.

Head Start, is a federally-funded program for poverty level families. For a family of four, this translates into earning less than $20,000 per year.

Even Start, is a family-literacy program where parents attend school to learn English while their children are in school. It also consists of ãparents and children timeä where parents join their preschool children to share their new knowledge. The philosophy is very similar to Music Together: that education is most effective when children and parents learn together.

I was astounded to learn that there are so many families eligible for these programs in affluent and well-educated Silicon Valley. With our busy lives, it's easy to forget about our nannies, house painters and food-service workers who also need to provide for their families.

I feel incredibly blessed to have such an opportunity in my life. One where I am can make and share music; where I can be a kid again; and where I can make a difference in the lives of others. Through giving my talents, time and passion to the needy, I have created a life of purpose.

I'm really excited that we've expanded the program this year, adding Jennifer to teach four Music Together Preschool classes, reaching an additional eighty children. Music for Families Outreach is committed to supporting these classes through donations, grants, and fundraising events. For more information or to join our volunteer team, click here to e-mail the school director Kristine at.