2026 Honorees of Smith Memorial Playground

I am a part-time drum instructor for a non-profit organization that focuses on music education. Utilizing music as a form of creative expression is very relevant to my job. I teach elementary school children and the change I see every week is there confidence in the ability to learn new skills and apply them to the drums. In my everyday class there is a range of students and I make sure no matter who they are that they're able to feel like they belong and learning feels fair for everyone when playing alongside each other.

Accessibility is very important for the non-profit I work. We offer free music classes to
participating schools. When I was a student here I benefited from these music lessons from some very great instructors and I have climbed the latter and began teaching myself and understand that accessibility is greatly needed in our communities. Students can not afford music lessons limiting their social creative ideas in some way, but when it's offered to students free of cost they benefit and flourish.

Overall I truly believe teaching children music is creating safe communities. I work in a juvenile center assisting with music production, and when it comes to these students creative minds I do feel like it can show them that it's more to life than the unhealthy habits they are part of.