Amadeo ’25, partners up with a non profit to provide music lessons to underprivileged youth in his hometown.
Economically underprivileged people often lack access to experiences and opportunities important for their personal development. It is common for the youth living in these harsh circumstances to receive a limited amount of education, or even none. In the majority these cases, learning about music and the arts is unheard of, largely because of a lack of resources.
I feel very grateful knowing that I have had the chance to learn how to play the piano for a while now. Without a doubt, learning a musical skill from a young age has helped me in tremendous ways: it has enhanced my coordination skills, it has forced me to become more persistent, and more importantly it has allowed me to explore my creative side and has served as an emotional outlet. Looking back and realizing just how helpful playing an instrument has been for me, I want to extend the opportunity for others who lack the resources to do the same.
My plan is to work with Lifting Hands, which is a non-profit Costa Rican organization that seeks to improve the lives of hundreds of children and teenagers that come from poor backgrounds through academic formation and emotional intelligence training. Lifting Hands does not currently have a music program, and so I hope to use my CSGC Grant to purchase the materials needed (piano keyboards, digital software, music books) to then give several of their students a number of piano lessons. I hope to help the foundation find a way to keep the music program expanding once the summer is over. Through this grant, I hope to help an important portion of the Costa Rican youth find a new passion for music and the arts.