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‘Dream Big’ is ‘music’ to area youth

Wellsburg church offers free after-school music education program

ARTS DAY AT THE  CAPITOL — Dream Big had a booth presence at the state capitol building Feb. 15 in Charleston, W.Va., on Arts Day at the Capitol. Program founder and executive director Matthew Hill is shown with his mother, left, Tonya Hill, head of marketing and public relations, and his wife, Jennifer Hill, assistant director, all of whom constitute program volunteers. -- Contributed

WELLSBURG — An outreach based in a Brooke County church is helping area children “Dream Big” when it comes to music.

A free after-school music education program for youth ages 7-18, Dream Big has assisted about 50 children so far since its beginnings less than a year ago.

“This program began the summer of 2016 in the 4th Ward park of Wellsburg, giving children free percussion lessons by playing drums on 5-gallon buckets with drumsticks once a week,” explained Matthew Hill, founder and executive director.

“Some of the children who participated over the summer marched in the Wellsburg 4th of July parade. Since then we have grown the program,” Hill said of what is an outreach of New Day Christian Center located at 2640 Pleasant Ave., Wellsburg, at the foot of Rabbit Hill Road just off of Route 2.

“Kids can join Dream Big at no cost,” Hill said, noting that children involved with the program “will learn many skills that will help them in life and music.” Some of those skills, he said, include self-discipline, respect of themselves and others, team work, critical thinking and self-confidence.

Participants have the opportunity, Hill continued, to learn musicianship, how to read and write music and ear training among other things.

Founded June 1, 2016, Dream Big has activities that include small groups, private lessons, “unique percussion ensembles” and public performance opportunities, according to Hill.

“Our mission is to help children fall in love with the arts through instrumental music education regardless of their financial status,” he said. “We work to provide a positive place of encouragement for all children ages 7-18 in the upper Ohio Valley, especially children with learning disabilities and/or children of low-income families who would otherwise be unable to give their child the opportunity of private music lessons, instruments or materials,” he explained.

“We accomplish this goal by providing free private lessons on band instruments and piano as well as providing children the opportunity to be in a small ensemble and loaning instruments to children who are unable to afford them,” he added.

A resident of Wellsburg, Hill studied music education at Shepherd College and West Liberty University under trumpeters Wayne Camron of Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Md., and Dave Dayton of the Wheeling Symphony.

With “many years of experience of performing and teaching music,” Hill noted he has played for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame groups such as the Impressions, Little Anthony and The Tymes. Hill’s jazz combo performed at the White House for the candlelight tours during the Clinton administration, and he has classical music experience playing for the opera “The Marriage of Figaro” in Cortona, Italy.

Hill, who taught privately for many years, is a former member of Drum Corps International playing soprano bugle for The Glassman of Toledo, Ohio, and is a recipient of the John Phillip Sousa award. He is married with four children and resides in Wellsburg.

Hill explained how he came up with the name Dream Big.

“It was my dream or vision to teach music to the children in our area,” he began. “When I was a child, all I wanted to do was play my trumpet, and it kept me out of trouble. I grew up in Roanoke, Va., a much bigger city than the one these kids live in, and music kept me around good people who encouraged me to stay in school and away from bad influences. I struggled with learning disabilities in school, and the teachers did their best to convince me not to try to go to college and learn a trade, but my mother and my band director believed in me, and I made it to college,” he said.

“My mother believed in my talent so much that she took a second job doing janitorial work at night to buy me a trumpet for Christmas, and when Christmas approached that year, she was still short, so she pawned her wedding rings to make up the difference, so I would have a trumpet to play,” he reminisced.

“You see music has always been my big dream, and when the Lord gave me the vision of this program, I wanted this to be a place where kids can dream big like me, regardless of their circumstances. I love teaching all kids, but the ones with disabilities and kids from low-income families have a special place in my heart,” Hill said.

The after-school music program — which is conducted from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday at the church — recently was awarded a $2,400 Community Impact Fund Grant by Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley.

“We will be purchasing instruments with the grant we were awarded,” Hill noted, explaining that Dream Big is funded by donations, fundraisers and grants.

“We have received donations from individuals as well as local churches,” he said. “This year we will be participating in the Amazing Raise hosted by the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley. The Amazing Raise is a national day of giving and an opportunity for the community to give to their local nonprofits. This will take place on May 2, and we will have links to donate on our Facebook page and other social media as the date gets closer,” he continued.

While the outreach welcomes donations of instruments in playable condition, Hill said pianos or organs would be the exception. “We don’t have the space to keep a piano or the manpower to move it,” he said.

“We do welcome volunteers with the talents for teaching. We also appreciate financial donations to assist with operational costs,” he added.

“The instruments we get are donated from the community,” Hill explained. “We loan instruments as we are able. The majority of our students provide their own instrument as we are very limited with the number of instruments we have available for loaning,” he said.

“Instructors are volunteers, and we encourage those who would like to invest time teaching children to speak with us,” he said of the program that has participation not just from Brooke County children but elsewhere. There are no residency requirements for participation.

Dream Big had a presence at the state capitol building Feb. 15 in Charleston, W.Va., on Arts Day at the Capitol.

“The theme was ‘Arts at the Heart of Community,'” Hill said of the observance. “A friend contacted me about this event at the last minute and suggested we be part of the event to share what we do for the community with our legislators and the importance of the arts in our state.”

Hill said the Dream Big booth attracted visits from, among others, Secretary of Education and the Arts Gayle Manchin. “Mrs. Manchin loves music education and told us, ‘You keep doing what you’re doing,'” Hill said. State Sen. Ryan Weld also visited the booth. “We had a fantastic conversation. Ryan showed great interest in our program and the children who participate in it.”

The children do public concerts, according to Hill. “We had our first Christmas concert this year at the church, and the children also performed Christmas music for the residents at Valley Haven Geriatric Center,” he explained. “Our group, the Dream Big Players, will perform the national anthem April 29 for opening day of the Wellsburg Little League Baseball Association. We will perform on May 2 at the church for the Amazing Raise. The Dream Big Players will perform in the Wellsburg 4th of July parade,” he said, adding, “We are always looking for performance opportunities for our kids.”

In addition to Hill, his wife, Jennifer Hill, is the program’s administrator and occasionally assists with piano instruction. Angel Adams is the lead pastor of New Day Christian Center.

Parents who are interested in having their children involved in the program can call (304) 559-1047 and speak with Matthew or Jenny Hill. Information also can be found on the organization’s Facebook page Dream Big Music Ed.

(Kiaski can be contacted at jkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)

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