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Speaker 1: From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.

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Speaker 1: Each and every week we come together right here talk

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Speaker 1: about all the topics important to you and the place

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Speaker 1: where you live. Thanks for tuning in again this week.

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Speaker 1: I'm Nicole Davis. Music education is not just a way

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Speaker 1: for young people to express themselves or have some fun

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Speaker 1: during class, although it is very fun. It helps them

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Speaker 1: build discipline, confidence and a sense of belonging while opening

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Speaker 1: doors that otherwise might seem out of reach. In Boston,

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Speaker 1: Project Step is out there dedicated to expanding access to

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Speaker 1: classical music training for budding musicians and underserved communities around

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Speaker 1: Greater Boston. One of their students is Sophia Hernandez Williams,

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Speaker 1: and at twelve years old, she is getting ready to

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Speaker 1: perform in a huge competition this week in Detroit. She

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Speaker 1: is the youngest person in the whole country to qualify

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Speaker 1: a huge deal. Of course, let's learn all about Sophia's

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Speaker 1: journey with the cello Project Step the work they do.

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Speaker 1: Sophia is here along with her mom, Caroline Reiner Williams,

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Speaker 1: and Project Steps executive director Elidor Depaula. Thank you all

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Speaker 1: for the time here and Elidor. Before we take a

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Speaker 1: look and chat with Sophia, tell us more about Project

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Speaker 1: Step and the work you do.

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Speaker 2: Project STEPP is a nonprofit organization that was founded about

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Speaker 2: forty years ago by one of the staff members at BSO,

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Speaker 2: the Boston Syphony Orchestra, when he was charged with the

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Speaker 2: task of finding underrepresented musicians to audition to the open

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Speaker 2: spots of the orchestra. And he'd had a really good,

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Speaker 2: really hard time finding those candidates. So they Bill Moyer

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Speaker 2: is the personal manager, was a personal manager for BSO,

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Speaker 2: and he was cubued with that task. He pitched the

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Speaker 2: idea of creating our program now called Project Step to

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Speaker 2: hone that talent of those students that are coming from

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Speaker 2: an unrepresented background.

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Speaker 1: Is this just Boston that you cover? Is this the

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Speaker 1: Boston area? How far does this go?

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Speaker 2: It's the Boston area, the Great Boston area, it goes.

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Speaker 2: You know, we have students from Worcester, like Sofia's from Wooster, right,

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Speaker 2: So it's the Great Boston area. But we of course

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Speaker 2: want to expand and continue expanding. We currently only offer instruments,

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Speaker 2: the string instruments. This is a string training education program,

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Speaker 2: but that eventually would like to expand the offerings and

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Speaker 2: get other instruments as well.

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Speaker 1: Kids learning music I think helps them in so many

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Speaker 1: other areas of life. You build confidence when you're performing.

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Speaker 1: It helps you build patients, which is hard to do

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Speaker 1: when either's screens everywhere right now, a lot of kids

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Speaker 1: would rather be playing roeblocks or something. But instead, if

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Speaker 1: you're practicing an instrument, you've got to take the time

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Speaker 1: and you've really got to work on that patience. Tell

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Speaker 1: me how that pays off when younger people get older

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Speaker 1: and go into being an adult and all the responsibilities

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Speaker 1: that come with that.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think discipline that patients demands, the discipline right

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Speaker 2: that play and instrumental is required. Also the interpersonal skills,

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Speaker 2: the ability to speak to others should be empathetic, like

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Speaker 2: to understand the different perspectives that other people might have.

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Speaker 2: And also one of the things that we focus a

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Speaker 2: lot at Project Staff is the cultural diversity. The ability

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Speaker 2: of one student bring their own culture, their own identity

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Speaker 2: as well as being exposed to others identity that diversely

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Speaker 2: creates like a rich tapestry, tapestry of both talent as

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Speaker 2: well as cultural backgrounds. Right where all this there is

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Speaker 2: there learning from another, and it's something that is quite unique.

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Speaker 2: We don't see that happening quite a lot.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, let's talk to you, Sophia, because I want to

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Speaker 1: find out about you. You seem like such a busy

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Speaker 1: kid that's so accomplished. What is it that you like

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Speaker 1: about playing cello?

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Speaker 3: Like?

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Speaker 1: What draws you to cello?

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Speaker 3: I just well, I really enjoyed it, first of all,

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Speaker 3: and and different ways to Especially it's cool to just

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Speaker 3: be able to prepare something and show everybody. But also

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Speaker 3: it's fun to play in an orchestra and have those

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Speaker 3: things in common with other kids, and all sorts of

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Speaker 3: different things that are great about playing the cello. It's

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Speaker 3: just very fun.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, what's it feel like to be on the stage

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Speaker 1: and like surround? I did chorus back in the day.

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Speaker 1: I didn't do band, but I loved being on stage

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Speaker 1: and got the lights on you And you've got all

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Speaker 1: this music that you've practiced and practiced. Tell me for

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Speaker 1: like for our listeners who don't do band and stuff,

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Speaker 1: tell me what it's like to perform your pieces when

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Speaker 1: you're out there.

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Speaker 3: Well, oftentimes you're you're very nervous.

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Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I imagine so, and I don't know.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just it's a great thing to be able

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Speaker 3: to share what you've been preparing for such a long time.

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Speaker 3: And it's cool to have everybody paying attention, like to

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Speaker 3: what you're doing, because sometimes in other places, like you're

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Speaker 3: trying to get a word out there or something and

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Speaker 3: I don't know, some situation where you can't be heard.

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Speaker 3: But in this case, it's like it to where everybody's

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Speaker 3: listening to you and they're trying to understand you.

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Speaker 1: You know what I mean. Yeah, I get that. So

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Speaker 1: when it comes to learning the cello, how it's taken

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Speaker 1: quite some time for you to get to where you

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Speaker 1: are a few years at this point. What was it

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Speaker 1: like growing up with the cello essentially.

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Speaker 4: I don't know.

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Speaker 3: It was definitely we thought you might play violin, but.

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Speaker 1: There you go. So you wanted to like have the

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Speaker 1: thing on the ground and not have to hold the

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Speaker 1: thing like and have your shoulder hurt.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, kind of put it on my lap and stuff.

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Speaker 2: There you go.

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Speaker 3: I also, I kind of from the beginning, I kind

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Speaker 3: of always wanted to be a professional cellist. Yeah, and

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Speaker 3: so like all of this is kind of like with

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Speaker 3: one goal in mind, and you're like always you know,

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Speaker 3: it requires discipline, but it's also likes as we're saying,

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Speaker 3: of course, but it's also kind of like, I don't know,

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Speaker 3: it's a good process that teaches you watch.

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Speaker 2: Other things than just music.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, But do think it.

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Speaker 4: Has anything to do with growing up in a music school, because.

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Speaker 1: That that also does help.

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Speaker 4: Probably we're sitting here in a community music school in Worcester.

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Speaker 4: Since she was very small. She's been coming to work

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Speaker 4: with me and just like surrounded by it. And that's

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Speaker 4: one of the reasons we love the mission of Project

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Speaker 4: Step because being Booster's community music school here a joy

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Speaker 4: of music program where Sophia takes private lessons.

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Speaker 2: She does her favorite music.

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Speaker 4: At STEP on the weekends. But she's just been in

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Speaker 4: this community of people from all over Worcester and the

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Speaker 4: school is positioned in an area of the community to

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Speaker 4: serve the broadest population that we have here. A lot

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Speaker 4: of our students are lower income, and it's just like

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Speaker 4: everybody's so happy to be here playing music. And I

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Speaker 4: think probably that sunk in a little bit and was like, Wow,

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Speaker 4: this seems like a really fun, you know, great thing

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Speaker 4: to do with lots of people that I like, and

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Speaker 4: that kind of thing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that totally helps.

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Speaker 4: Great extension of that because then we get to be

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Speaker 4: there on weekends.

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Speaker 1: There you go, tell me about this really cool competition

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Speaker 1: you've got coming up. And if I remember correctly, I

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Speaker 1: did some research. This isn't the first time you've gone, right, Yes.

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Speaker 3: I did go last year? Okay, it was actually is

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Speaker 3: actually kind of cool because I was the youngest competitor,

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Speaker 3: and I think I am this year too, but last

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Speaker 3: year I was the youngest competitor who had ever gone.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, what's it like like being surrounded by all these

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Speaker 1: adults being like, I know I deserve to be here, but.

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Speaker 3: Wow, well it's kind of cool to be able to

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Speaker 3: like learn about different worlds and age things. And I

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Speaker 3: think you learn faster actually that way exposed to older

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Speaker 3: kids and all that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so what's the competition like, tell me about it?

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Speaker 3: So uh Sphink's Well, Sphinx's mission is also uh sport

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Speaker 3: like equity and classical music and have like very high

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Speaker 3: quality training and all sorts of things. But the competition,

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Speaker 3: I don't know. You go there for a week to

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Speaker 3: Detroit and you get to stay in like a hotel. Okay,

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Speaker 3: play for them and yeah, and then and then you

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Speaker 3: see the.

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Speaker 4: Resultated in a master class last.

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Speaker 2: Time you went.

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Speaker 3: Oh yes, And there's also master classes and other uh

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Speaker 3: sometimes there's like little parties and things.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes it better.

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Speaker 3: You can community, you know.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, And so how did you do last time

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Speaker 1: you went?

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Speaker 3: How did I do?

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Speaker 1: Like, how did you place last time you went?

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Speaker 3: Oh? Yes, last time I got an honorable mention?

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Speaker 1: Still not nothing to sneeze at. And I'm assuming that

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Speaker 1: this year you've got higher sights though, well.

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Speaker 3: Yes, that's always a go uh my my father says

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Speaker 3: it's also it's kind of like a saying but you know,

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Speaker 3: in general, when you go to a competition. Of course,

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Speaker 3: although you're not going to be like dead if you

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Speaker 3: don't win, because obviously not. But they say you go

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Speaker 3: there to win. That's the whole purpose, right, that's what

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Speaker 3: you're doing for, even though you don't always. But it's

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Speaker 3: like the purpose of going to a competition, you know.

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Speaker 3: But it's also a learning experience. It's just a great

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Speaker 3: thing in general.

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Speaker 2: I think you learn you win by learning through that experience, right, Sophia.

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Speaker 2: I think just being exposed to these groups of other competitors.

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Speaker 2: She was one of the nine selected in the entire

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Speaker 2: country for this competition, So that's a win already, you know,

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Speaker 2: and her showcase in Detroit is another win. So there

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Speaker 2: are several different ways we can classify as a success

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Speaker 2: and we are very proud of you. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, I was going to say, Eleator, tell me a

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Speaker 1: little bit more about, you know, your relationship with Sofia,

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Speaker 1: how you guys work together, what you work on, and

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Speaker 1: how much this means to have her going back, not

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Speaker 1: just this for the first time, but for the second

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Speaker 1: time to such a big competition.

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Speaker 2: I am a new executive director of Project Step. I

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Speaker 2: started back in November. I had the chance to meet

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Speaker 2: Sophia a few times, you know, during the classes, during

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Speaker 2: the chamber music. I can only share the pride that

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Speaker 2: I have about her, like of her accomplishments. It's it's

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Speaker 2: impressive and it's a drink co true for me because

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Speaker 2: I've been working with nonprofit organizations, specifically with underrepresented communities,

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Speaker 2: and to have students of her level is just absurd.

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Speaker 2: It's just incredible, you know, it's just awesome to have

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Speaker 2: those students like thriving, especially at such a young age.

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Speaker 2: And I say that we are at Project State, Project

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Speaker 2: step with my tenure there. We want to celebrate excellence,

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Speaker 2: as you know, as highlighted by Sophia's brilliance, but we

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Speaker 2: also want to redefine her guests should be excellent by

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Speaker 2: bringing those students from underrepresented communities and just like give

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Speaker 2: them the opportunity and showcasing them. That's what our mission

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Speaker 2: is all about. And Sophia is just carrying that mission

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Speaker 2: like so smoothly and so easily on her shoulders. I

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Speaker 2: think the cello is heavier that.

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Speaker 1: Probably those are not small. Okay, they're not small, but

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Speaker 1: you know, you've got to be a strong kid to

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Speaker 1: be able to carry those things.

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Speaker 2: So I'm a piannest so for me, I mean, one

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Speaker 2: of the reasons that I did not want to be

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Speaker 2: a string player is because I would have to carry

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Speaker 2: them around. So I'm sorry, Sophia, that's your burden to carry.

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Speaker 2: I'm lucky not to have to carry the piano in

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Speaker 2: my pocket, but.

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Speaker 3: Figuratively, and it's acting like adjust to their instruments though,

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Speaker 3: so it's like playing a different instrument every time you play.

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Speaker 1: Sofia, what is it like to work with the kids

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Speaker 1: at projects step and see them, you know, enjoy music

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Speaker 1: as much as you do, and discover music that you

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Speaker 1: know people may not have introduced to them before.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it's just a really great place to learn

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Speaker 3: a lot and have fun at the same time with

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Speaker 3: like other friends and yeah, and also like growing up

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Speaker 3: since I was a little little because my brother was

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Speaker 3: also in product Step learning and getting to know all

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Speaker 3: of the different people and like growing up with them.

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Speaker 3: Like with the music around it is, it's kind of

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Speaker 3: like a shared thing that you're working on as you

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Speaker 3: grow up. It's like a like a journey like yeah,

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Speaker 3: and a family, like a community.

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Speaker 4: I appreciated seeing I think there was another Step alumni

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Speaker 4: who went to Sphinx and when she was little, we

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Speaker 4: were all celebrating and watching her journey. And so definitely

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Speaker 4: the representation, like Elitor said, like seeing somebody that you

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Speaker 4: know it's just like you being able to go that

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Speaker 4: far with music, that's just so wonderful being part of

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Speaker 4: Project Step just when the kids were little, and that

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Speaker 4: that was their model too, that they could see someone

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Speaker 4: like them in that role.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So I think the modeling is another, you know,

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Speaker 2: incredible situation we have here having parents. There are musicians

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Speaker 2: that provide that type of opportunity is a must uh

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Speaker 2: And one other aspect of Project Step that we focus

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Speaker 2: to is true create an environment, to create a space

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Speaker 2: where students feel they they are work with music that

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Speaker 2: resonates with them. I'm a Latino, I'm originally from Brazil,

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Speaker 2: and for me, it was always very difficult to learn

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Speaker 2: music as a pianist with artists or with the traditions

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Speaker 2: that were not very very similar to mine that did

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Speaker 2: not resonate so much with me because it was basically

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Speaker 2: European traditions. And a Project Step we try to enhance

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Speaker 2: that by bringing different Latino, Black, some other cultures to

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Speaker 2: bring their identity and share with our students so they

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Speaker 2: can see, like, hey, that resonates with me, that makes sense,

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Speaker 2: It's not so far apart from what I'm experienced, and

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Speaker 2: that modeling comes from their home, from their parents, comes

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Speaker 2: from the organization that we provide, and from the experience

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Speaker 2: that they are exposed to. And I'm very proud of it.

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Speaker 2: I'm very proud of seeing those students because at the

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Speaker 2: same step, the same stage that Sophia is seeing herself

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Speaker 2: now going thro those competitions, I've been there before and

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Speaker 2: I've seen other people there were my models. I was

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Speaker 2: on stage, I served as a model for other people's

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Speaker 2: and I think that perpetuates the mission that we want here,

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Speaker 2: that we want you to broaden classical music. We don't

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Speaker 2: want to stagnant, uh, you know style that is very aristocratic,

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Speaker 2: very elitist. We want you to expand that. And Sophia

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Speaker 2: is one of that, you know, is the product of

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Speaker 2: all of that. Her Brita is She's one of the

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Speaker 2: stars of the many stars that we had the project

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Speaker 2: Step And now it's the time that this little star

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Speaker 2: here is shining, and it's shining in Boston, it's shiny

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Speaker 2: and Detroit, and she's going to go far.

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Speaker 1: Oh, I believe it wholeheartedly. So let's talk about your

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Speaker 1: competition coming up. It's the Sphinx Competition, because what if

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Speaker 1: we want to see how you do. Tell us about

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Speaker 1: when it is and where it is and what we

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Speaker 1: can expect.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, So it's in Detroit, Michigan, and I don't know

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Speaker 3: what is it what is the place called?

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Speaker 4: So the semifinal round takes place on Thursday morning, I believe,

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Speaker 4: And there's a live.

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Speaker 3: On your stream, yes, so okay, up on the Sphinx YouTube. Okay,

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Speaker 3: and you can actually watch it live there and also

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Speaker 3: once it's over.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Yeah, we are also going to be sharing all

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Speaker 2: of that on our social media, so like if you

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Speaker 2: want to follow us on social media Project STAP or

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Speaker 2: on our website PROJECTSTAP dot org. We're going to be

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Speaker 2: highlighting this competition, highlighting Sofia as much as we can,

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Speaker 2: so if you're interested, just look it up.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I was going to say, where can people contact

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Speaker 1: you at Project STEP and learn more about maybe getting

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Speaker 1: their kids involved.

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Speaker 2: Project STAP dot org. Easy to remember, our social media

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Speaker 2: is also Project STAP. STAP stands for String Training Education Program,

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Speaker 2: so as TEP, very easy to find. We are in

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Speaker 2: all the platforms you can search us. We are located

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Speaker 2: at the Symphony Hall at the Boston Pops, so you

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Speaker 2: can always send the students research what is the audition

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Speaker 2: like and how you can send you your kids to

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Speaker 2: to join the program.

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Speaker 1: All right, well, beautiful, great information. Thank you so much

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Speaker 1: Elator for that. Sophia. We' get excited for you, sending

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Speaker 1: you all the best of luck. I know you're just

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Speaker 1: gonna do awesome and have the best time in Detroit

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Speaker 1: and mom enjoy your time with her as well.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you so much for having us.

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Speaker 1: Hope you have a safe and healthy and warm weekend.

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Speaker 1: Please come back and join us again next week for

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Speaker 1: another edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ

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Speaker 1: News Radio on iHeartRadio