Our Vision
MUSIC FOR MILESTONES / 2020
Our project aims to give underprivileged children a life-saving creative outlet. By giving them classes and a keyboard, our project, Music for Milestones, can act as a pathway to a better state of mental well-being, which can help these children better succeed in other parts of their academic career. Musical rhythms make way for mathematics; Playing an instrument and the cognitive abilities it enhances are testaments to neuroplasticity, a science; Meter is a direct relation to Shakespearean sonnets, a part of English. All of these various components of a musical education that we can provide, can truly make a lasting impact on these children, allowing them to find solace in something beyond their practical lives (especially in a time of panic and social instability with COVID-19), and relish in the pure joy that playing the piano can give to a person, seen especially through our culminating recital: “Music for Milestones—the Stepping Stone”. By giving them the opportunity to learn the piano, through conventional piano lessons, and enabling them to directly connect it to their own mental well-being, through unconventional sessions of guided listening with drawing, coloring, writing and guest performances/activities, our project is able to foster a symbiotic relationship between music and the mind, one note at a time.
"Fostering a symbiotic relationship between music and the mind, one note at a time."
A Summer in Review... - 2020
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Meet our Co-Founders!
Charu Balamurugan, 17My name is Charu Balamurugan, and I am a rising senior at University High School Charter. My passion is continuously intersecting music and the sciences in every way I can. Consequently, I have been playing the piano since I was 6 years old, completing up to Level 10 in Certificate of Merit, and also gaining experience in composing, arranging, and conducting by being a part of Uni’s Composer Mentorship Program, in which I am able to work with professionals in the music industry like Anne Dern and Cindy O’Connor. I have also been learning an Indian classical dance at the Shakti School of Bharata Natyam for over 6 years, even performing at the 2020 Women’s March with my peers. In addition, I am very interested in the medical field, as I have been a volunteer at the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, for about a year now. I have finally been able to completely embark on my journey to merge music and science with my project, Music for Milestones, as part of the Dragon Kim Fellowship Program, by combining mental health and the piano for underprivileged children in Los Angeles.
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Katheryn Williams, 18My name is Katheryn Williams and I’m a rising senior at University High School Charter. The one thing I enjoy most about my life is having fun with friends and exploring the great outdoors. My passion for exploring has also led me to being very active all my life and I’m grateful I’ve gotten to play basketball for almost ten years and run track for around five hours. Along with this my true passion has always been helping others and being a part of both leadership and the National Honor Society at my high school has given me an opportunity to make others smile at my school. Along with making others smile, music has always been something that has helped me through hard times and even has saved my life at times. Having the opportunity to teach music in kids life’s who need it most is something I will forever be grateful for and Music For Milestones will hold a special place in my heart.
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