by
Marie Sherlock . Portland Parent, January 1999
Note: In the interest
of maintaining our students' privacy and the confidentiality
of their families' circumstances, we have used only the student's
initials in our transcription of the article
Three years ago, when H.C. emigrated
from Korea to the U.S., her family was hardly in a position
to provide her with cultural opportunities. "When we
came here, we didn't have a lot of money," H.C. recalls.
What the 13-year-old, a student at a local middle school,
did have was a dream: She wanted to become a pianist.
H.C.'s
parents learned about the Piano Santa Foundation from one
of their daughter's teachers, and H.C. applied for a scholarship.
Within two weeks, she was practicing on her own piano at
home.
Mark
Mention |
Portlander
Mark Mention - a piano rebuilder and tuner by
trade - founded the nonprofit Piano Santa Foundation
(PSF) in 1994 with the express goal of providing music
instruction and pianos to motivated youths in the metro
area. Mention's foundation now boasts a fleet of 30
pianos, which it makes available to qualified applicants
for up to three years.
Recipients must be between the ages of 7 and 13, and
their family income must meet the guidelines for the
federal reduced-price lunch program.
Once the student receives his scholarship, he is assigned
to a music mentor and a music sponsor, each of whom
meets with the student four times a year to offer guidance
and support. Parents participate by securing piano lessons
for their child Mention notes that the foundation can
help locate low-cost instruction options. |
Everyone
involved
- students, parents, support-team members, and foundation
representatives - signs an agreement that outlines
his responsibilities. "This isn't a free ride,"
Mention explains. "The tenets of the program
are merit, need, and accountability. These kids earn
this. They learn that hard work and dedication will
pay off for them."
While the Standard scholarship - in which students
are awarded the use of a piano for a year or more
- is the mainstay of the program, the foundation also
sponsors music-therapy grants for organizations such
as the Parry Center for Children. And this year for
the first time PSF offered a Grand Piano Scholarship.
Open to children ages 12 to 16, and not limited to
those in financial need, this contest awards one winner
with the use of a grand piano (which was pledged by
the Day Music Co.) for two years.
|
| Mention
feels that PSF's gifts do more than inspire musical
talent. "Music provides people with a wonderful
emotional outlet," he says. "[The foundation
reaches] kids in really tough situations - kids who
really don't have the resources. It gives them a sanctuary
in their own home." |
|
|
Although
it would seem that an idea this good would have caught
on elsewhere, Mention believes that his organization
is unique. "Nobody else in Oregon - let alone the
rest of the country - is doing this to my knowledge,"
he says.
H.C. has now had her piano for 2 1/2 years and her scholarship
is about to lapse. But she's hoping to keep her dream
alive; perhaps she can land a Grand Piano Scholarship!
|
Click here to contact PSF
503-245-6269
PO Box 80173, Portland, OR 97280 |
