Program Brings Free Music Lessons to Children of Birmingham

Jeane Goforth is on a mission to change the city of Birmingham, Ala., by offering free instruments and music lessons to disadvantaged kids through a program called Scrollworks.

Goforth founded the program after she started a citywide youth orchestra a few years ago.

"At the first rehearsal I was so disappointed," she told AOL News. "The kids were great, but they were all from privileged backgrounds, living in the suburbs and taking private lessons."

Goforth soon discovered that kids from the poorest neighborhoods in Birmingham did not have any opportunities to learn the string, percussion and wind instruments that make up the orchestra. She started Scrollworks to bring kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds together through the orchestra.


"I was inspired by the El Sistema music program in Venezuela," Goforth said, referring to the program that teaches music to 300,000 of Venezuela's poorest children.

In February 2008, Scrollworks began teaching music to inner-city children out of a heavy metal rock club in downtown Birmingham.

"It was one big room covered in graffiti," Goforth recalled, laughing. "We were teaching everything -- guitar, drums, keyboard -- all at once."

Since its humble beginnings, the program has moved to classroom space at the Highlands United Methodist Church, two blocks away from the rock club. Every Saturday, 10 volunteer instructors teach piano, guitar, percussion, woodwinds, brass and string instruments, as well as voice, to more than 130 students.

Advanced Scrollworks students have the opportunity to participate in one of three citywide youth orchestras or the youth choir.

Goforth said some families with multiple children spend the entire day at the program so their children can take lessons and participate in the group ensembles.

"And some of the families who have hit hard times -- perhaps their house has been foreclosed on or they've lost a job -- say they like to bring their child to one activity here because it makes them feel normal during a real bad time," Goforth added.

As with most nonprofits, donations of both money and instruments are a constant challenge for the program. The instruments for students in Scrollworks are acquired through various sources.

"Many instruments are donated from individuals who had something tucked away in a closet since high school," she said. "One couple donates an instrument each year as a Christmas present to each other, which is really nice. I'm convinced if we had an endless supply of instruments, we'd have an endless supply of kids."

The challenges of running this type of program do not deter Goforth, who has big plans for the future of Scrollworks.

"I want to take over the world," she said with a laugh. "I'd at least like every kid in Birmingham, Alabama, to be able to walk to a music lesson. Music helps kids with schoolwork. It also teaches them teamwork outside of sports.

"Everyone can relate to music; it's a great way to bring the community together. If we can spread that, that's what I'd love to do."