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We are celebrating a very special anniversary with one of our longtime supporters, Allison Hart. Fall 2020 marks the 3rd anniversary of Allison’s membership as the founding donor of Team Rondo, our monthly donor group.
Allison has supported Elemental Music in many ways since her daughter first joined one of our ensembles years ago, and she has continued her support even as an alumni parent. One of the most important ways she supports Elemental Music is through her recurring monthly donations, giving our organization the opportunity to grow and to apply resources where they are most needed. We are honored to have her on our team.
In celebration of Allison’s 3rd “donor-versary,” we had a conversation about why she believes in our organization, why she chooses to give monthly, and the power of music.
EM: How did you first become involved with Elemental Music and what has it meant to your family?
AH: Elemental Music has meant so much to our family. I had encouraged Katie to try get involved with music from a very young age. My mom was a music theory major in college and played piano, and I played piano, and so I was really trying to push her towards piano for a long time. Then when she was about 7 years old, she came to me and asked to play violin, which was kind of a surprise to me. Nobody else in the family had ever played any string instruments, but I was thrilled that she was interested in music, so I said ‘Of course.’ She started private lessons and, as that progressed, I asked her private teacher at the time if she was familiar with any ensembles that Katie could play with. I thought that would really be a great experience for her to play with other kids. She didn’t really know of any, and then I just happened upon EM and ES and it just got her into that and she just fell in love with it. You know, it was just such a great experience for her. She made great friends and she just really has grown as a musician. It’s such a joy to watch her love and her passion for music to grow. Her self-confidence has grown, and her self-esteem...she’s just really grown as an individual.
Allison and her daughter Katie, a violinist who participated in our Academy Philharmonic and Elemental Strings programs.
EM: It’s so fun for us, too, to see kids who started so young. Katie started with us when she was a 3rd grader...so from 3rd grade through 8th grade, to be able to watch these kids grow as young musicians - it feels pretty special for us to be involved and in the kids lives for that long.
AH: Yeah, and there’s nothing better than seeing the joy on her face when they perform a concert and everything comes together. They always sound so beautiful.
EM: I had no idea that your mom majored in music in college! It sounds like you do have a bit of a background in music. You studied piano yourself, you said?
AH: Yes, I did - though I definitely don’t have the talent that Katie and my mom do - it skipped a generation!
EM: That’s ok, parents don’t need to be musicians for their parents to become them! So, do you feel that studying music and the arts helped you in your current career as a lawyer?
Absolutely, absolutely! Studying music is a different way of thinking. It helps your critical thinking and it’s like learning another language – another way of thinking. It definitely helps develop your mind.
EM: So you were our very first recurring donor ever!
AH: I can’t believe that! That’s crazy!
EM: You’ve been supporting the organization in that way for so long. What initially prompted you to become a recurring donor.
AH: First and foremost, it’s been such a fabulous program for Katie and it’s done so much for her. I think there’s a song by The Roots called Everyone Deserves Music, and I do believe that. I definitely feel that everyone deserves the benefit of the music education and everything else that Elemental Music has to offer, regardless of socioeconomic background and financial needs. I think that every student who has the interest deserves to be exposed to music education and the programs that it has to offer. I want to make that available to the extent I can. Also, just as a single mom and a lawyer, I don’t have the time necessarily to give to the program in other ways. So I guess this is the way I try to give back to the program.
EM: And so, you talked about the impact EM had on your own family, being in our programs. What would you describe as EM’s value in the community? What do you think the long-term impact of EM might be to westside communities?
AH: I just think that [the impact is] giving this generation an appreciation for the arts and music, that they might not otherwise be exposed to through their schools or in their own families.