Music on a Mission

Editor’s note: In honor of the “In a Giving Mood” cover story, Robin Sassi, owner of San Diego Music Studio, pinch-hits for Kimberly Deverell this month by describing a topic near and dear to her heart.

People in the music industry are some of the hardest working people around. I know shop owners who work seven days a week, managers who work late into the night and vendors who battle gridlock traffic to get instruments to schools in time for class. We work hard. We play hard. It’s a thrill. It’s a rush. And we love it. There is no other business like this one. And when the dust settles, after the money comes in, and the bills are paid, we turn around and give. What was that? Give? Yes. We give. Giving is done in many ways. Some in the industry give scholarships and products. Those with less cash flow will give free workshops and educational retreats. Giving can be done with money. Giving can be done with time. Most importantly, giving is done with heart.

My mother was an immigrant from the Philippines. She battled poverty and emphasized education in our family, specifically, music. I grew up with a passion for teaching and helping children. After my mother retired to the Philippines, the “Philippines Ukulele Project” was born.

We began by connecting individual donors with kids in the Philippines. The donors would provide the instruments. We would bring the ukuleles to the kids and teach them to play. Our hope was to help at-risk youth escape poverty and the other related challenges they face in one of the poorest countries of the world.

The crew at my music store collected, packed and tuned the ukuleles to be delivered. My family in the Philippines interviewed the children, arranged facilities and provided meals for those who attended class. I somehow figured out how to navigate 23 hours of travel time between air, bus and car with more than 30 ukuleles in tow. When I first arrived in the Philippines to teach these children in November 2018, I was amazed at their resilience and eagerness to learn. Most live in shacks with no running water. Piles of trash litter their play area, which is often an empty dirt lot with a few tires to roll around. Even so, for that day, their focus was on the music and learning.

Within an hour of the first class, most of the children were already putting together chords to songs they knew. A month after returning to the United States, I received videos of the kids playing music with each other and teaching other kids in the neighborhood how to play.

Regardless of socioeconomic status or location, children have a thirst to learn music. Our ability to provide music education to children is only limited by our willingness to give. I have brought donors’ ukuleles to children in Digos City, Bansalan and farmland in Kidapawan. The children’s enthusiasm for music was clear with every new note they learned. There was no language barrier, even though I’m not fluent in my mother’s language. Music speaks. When I returned with another load of ukuleles in March, one little girl who lives in a tiny shack with 11 other family members was playing. Really playing. And more than that, she was teaching. At 12 years old, she now has a small following of her own students. She finds happiness in the gift she received and continued happiness in the gift she is giving. Play them a song, they will be happy for a day. Teach them to play, they’ll be happy for a lifetime.

We aren’t alone in our philosophy. Many in the music industry believe in giving. Amahi, Antonio Violins and Kala are companies that generously sponsored our mission to bring music to at-risk youth in the Philippines. These businesses, along with individuals in our local community, donated the ukuleles given to the kids.

We have always known how generous the music industry can be. KHS music has sponsored training for our staff. Alfred Music and D’Addario have always been generous with their donations of books and products during Make Music Day and our other free educational events. These companies have given to us, a small community music store, for years, and they have asked for nothing in return.

Although we took our giving to an international level, the bulk of our education takes place in a small community in North San Diego. We continue, as we have for years, to offer free workshops, scholarships, free space for local music groups, and a donation each year of instruments to local public schools.

Why? This is what we do in the music industry. It’s what we’ve learned from other stores, vendors, and musicians since opening our doors 25 years ago. We are on a mission to give. And this mission begins with music.

Robin Sassi owns San Diego Music Studio, which is celebrating 25 years in business. She is also a practicing business attorney, helping clients with corporate formation and litigation.

By Robin Sassi, Owner, San Diego Music Studio