ations
“ Welcome home.” Emblazoned on the
entrance to the music room at Ss. John
Neumann and Maria Goretti High School,
these words are the first indication
there’s something different about
this orchestra.
For starters, most of its players have no prior
musical experience. Each member receives an
instrument, sheet music, and training at no cost.
The players are seated by birthday, rather than the
usual skill-based seating arrangement. And their
goal goes beyond just sounding good — they’re
learning to live, as well as play, in harmony.
“These students get to befriend people from
different backgrounds they’d never meet
otherwise,” says orchestra teacher Christine Mello-
Hemsley. “They get to learn an instrument they’d
never see otherwise. Who in South Philly has seen
a harp or bassoon, let alone touched one? Here,
they can.”
An Orchestra
Built on Empathy
Art for Everybody
At Neumann Goretti, students are required to take
at least one year of fine arts, choosing from dance,
visual art, choir, or orchestra. Under the guidance
of Mello-Hemsley, a professional concert cellist,
the orchestra has bloomed to over 80 students,
making it the largest in the Archdiocese.
The program relies on school support and
community donations to equip each student to
play, tune, maintain, and store their instruments.
“We offer something to these kids that usually
only students in the suburbs get,” Mello-Hemsley
says. “Inner city kids want music just as badly as
suburban kids, and they’ll work for it just as hard.”
That hard work has led to impressive results. The
orchestra has played at events for First Republic
Bank, the Healey Education Foundation, as well as
various holiday and Mass events. But before they
ever share the stage, the students must first learn
to share a space — one in which they all feel safe.
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