Kareena Dhillon
Online Features Editor
Mira Costa sophomore Rachel Clinton has stroked her passion for the violin by conducting lessons at a local women’s shelter.
This year Clinton has been giving lessons to seven children as a part of her gold award for Girl Scouts. The kids range from grades k-8 and each signed up to receive lessons. They are the children of the aforementioned women who reside in this shelter.
“None of these kids have ever used a musical instrument before,” Clinton said. “So my job is to introduce them to the violin because it is definitely a passion of mine.”
Clinton goes to the shelter, located in Hawthorne, every Monday evening from 7-8pm. There are adults present to keep order but Clinton herself leads lessons. It is a class setting in which they sit in a circle to enhance one-on-one experiences.
“Violin is a huge part of my life,” Clinton said. “I wanted to pass that on to kids who may not have had access to it before. Though they can be loud and rowdy sometimes they truly are a great group of kids.”
In pursuit of her Gold Award Clinton wanted to utilize her passion for the violin and music to help others. She had previously been volunteering at the shelter and wanted to expand her efforts in a place where she felt comfortable and where she was familiar with the staff.
“I have had such a good time doing this, certainly more than I initially thought,” Clinton said.
She started planning this new venture last September and held her first lesson this March. To prepare Clinton bought seven violins and included all the materials she would need to be able to teach. With her she uses a downloaded violin beginners book. According to Clinton she will complete her gold award on schedule in June.
“It is an amazing experience knowing you are helping these kids with opportunities they did not have before,” Clinton said. “Especially because they come from a women’s shelter so they have already undergone stress and trauma throughout their life.”
Clinton has used her experience in Mira Costa’s Symphony and Chamber Orchestra to teach ground-level beginners classes. She takes private lessons at Cal State Long Beach under Dr. Moni Simeonov.
“Despite their somewhat harsh upbringing they are all still so enjoyable and they have a great time,” Clinton said. “We have all really bonded in this class.”
Clinton wants to continue to volunteer at the women’s shelter and teach lessons after her Gold Award. She hopes to continue next year just for fun. Regarding the violin Clinton hopes to continue playing college.
“It is so much more than playing the violin,” Clinton said. “It is a great time for them to enjoy themselves and ignore what other hardships are going on in their life. Providing a safe space for them means the most to me.”
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