02 September, 2006
MONTE PLATA, Dominican Republic, August 18, 2006. Early in the mornings, Centro Medico BRA at Batey Cinco Casas is bustling with sounds of busy receptionists, doctors, nurses, patients chatting and children playing. But in the last two weeks of August, a new and unusual sound was added to the environment. Only a few meters away from the waiting room, at the house where Dominican doctors and international volunteers stay, some of the youngest neighbors of the clinic gathered to learn the cello. “Through music, the children can develop the discipline they will need in their later professional years,” said Ulrick Gaillard, CEO of the BRA and also an accomplished cellist. Vilma Peguero, a Dominican musician who resides in the US is working with the BRA on a pilot project to bring music lessons through the Suzuki method to children who live in impoverished areas of the country, including the bateyes. BRA is the first institution to undertake such an initiative inside the bateyes. During two weeks, Vilma arrived early every day to welcome an eager crowd of nine children. The daily sessions comprised an intensive period to introduce the instrument, impart musical knowledge and teach practice exercises. Two cellos remained at the house of a neighbor of the clinic where the children could go in the afternoons to complete their cello assignments. Now that the two week period has ended, the students will travel once a week to the capital for the rest of the year to continue their the lessons with professor Angela Holguin. Vilma explained that after a year, when a commitment to the instrument has been established, the children could receive a personal instrument to keep. “There are also plans to expand the program to violin instruction — and to eventually create a mini orchestra made of children with limited economic opportunities,” concluded Gaillard.
