Summer in Ohio can be unbearably hot and muggy, but for some young musicians, it’s the best time of year to spend time in the Buckeye state. Since 2002, Oberlin College & Conservatory of Music has hosted one of the most intensive pre-professional music programs in the country- the Credo Chamber Music Summer Program.
Each year, hundreds of talented 13-22 year-old string players and pianists- from the US and abroad- vie for an opportunity to attend the rigorous 3-week music workshop. Here they practice with their equally-gifted counterparts while receiving daily coaching and mentoring with world-class faculty. But there’s something else that sets Credo apart- with a unique curriculum combining music study, performance and volunteerism- students are taught that it’s just as important to practice community service as it is to practice their craft.
“The program takes [students'] musical talents, develops them to the highest ability and then takes them out to serve the community,” says Peter Slowik, founding director of CCM and Professor of Viola at Oberlin Conservatory. “Musicians are always working with the intangible, obsessing over very fine details.” So acts of service like packing food at the Cleveland Food Bank makes them feel good in a tangible way.
The weekly service days foster relational and leadership skills, build team and community spirit and give the students a sense of self-worth. I saw this first-hand when I travelled to Ohio last week to congratulate Slowik and the Credo clan on joining the ranks of Pepsi Refresh Grantees in the month of June.
The $25,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant will provide eight deserving students full scholarships to next year’s program, but with the 2010 summer session wrapping up last week, it was an opportune time for me to get a taste of the Credo experience. Boy was I impressed and inspired!
On Thursday I accompanied Slowik on the last service day of the summer. We visited a variety of locations in the Cleveland/Oberlin area, where Credo students gave of their time and talents to underserved youth, performed for patients at a surgical center and residents of a retirement community and packed lunches at a food bank.
Slowik and Credo students provide free music instruction to disadvantage youth at local non-profit, Joyful Noise.
Credo Students perform at Cleveland’s Hillcrest Hospital
Credo Students learn about operations at the Cleveland Foodbank before volunteering at the facility
My whirlwind trip culminated with a series of wonderful performances, the pinnacle of which- Saturday’s Credo Festival Finale- featured the collective talents of all 80 students. Bravissimo!
And special thanks to Cleveland area PepsiCo bottler, Ross Phillips, for supplying complimentary beverages for the weekend festivities!
Click here for more news from the Credo Chamber Music summer program.
