I want to speak personally for a second. Before I really had a chance to develop what would eventually become my career, I put all my time and energy into music. In sixth grade, I wandered into band class for the first time, clarinet in hand, and absolutely zero expectations in my mind. For the next seven-ish years, I would put at least hundreds of hours of practice into that clarinet. Like many students, this form of art provided many things for young me. A community, a medium for self-expression, an escape, and just something to do.
Unfortunately, due to the cost commitment of instruments, music has a higher barrier of entry than many other art programs, which results in many schools in lower-income areas having underfunded or nonexistent music programs. That’s why when I received a press release from VanderCook detailing their One City program, I knew I had to investigate further.
VanderCook’s One City program is a K-8 music program. They attract students from the nearby Bridgeport, Bronzeville, and Chinatown areas, and offer free instrument loans and music lessons for the students. The program’s focus is on jazz education, with students learning various string, brass, and percussion instruments. Lessons are once a week, on Saturday mornings, and provide access to music learning for dozens of students who might not otherwise have access at their schools.
Throughout the morning, students rotate between a few classes approximately every forty minutes or so. These classes include practicing within sections (also known as sectionals), jazz history, and larger ensemble practice. This helps students to gain a holistic understanding of jazz, preparing them for their once-a-semester performance. Classes are taught by music education majors at VanderCook, with some oversight by VanderCook professors to help improve their teaching skills.
One City goes a step further than just music lessons and free instrument rentals. For students who stick all the way through the program to the end of their eighth-grade year, students will get to keep the instrument they have stayed on, giving them a strong foundation to continue developing the music interests into high school and beyond. It is hard to understate just how impactful an opportunity like this could be to these students. And I didn’t need to theorize. Among the crowd of K-8 students were former members of the program, helping the next generation of One City students learn themselves. It was shared with me that the One City program has a 95% retention rate, and that for the 5% who don’t stay, it tends to be more so out of necessity due to extenuating circumstance than disinterest. Clearly, what VanderCook is doing is working.
I had the pleasure of visiting the One City program on January 18, 2025, and my experience was nothing short of amazing. Dr. Leah Schuman, the executive director of the One City program, took me from class to class. I watched kids play out eighth note and triplet rhythms on hand drums while upstairs, students buzzed out notes into the mouth pieces of trumpets and trombones. I had a nostalgic flashback as I listened an ensemble play through the yellow Essential Elements book, a name that should no doubt be familiar to anyone who picked up an instrument themselves in junior high. Students listened to jazz from NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert and were asked for their interpretation, to which one kid whose feet couldn’t even touch the ground excitedly shared how cannons were used in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
The whole experience was incredible and brought me back to when I was just starting out in band myself. The energy of the program permeated the air just as powerfully as the cacophony of noises from the students. Even Dr. Schuman, who was primarily focused on giving me a tour, couldn’t help herself from jumping in, pointing students along in their sheet music or providing some instructional ideas to the music majors.
Recently, the OneCity program was awarded a grant by the Les Paul foundation, named after the late jazz musician from the Midwest of the same name. The foundation was established to encourage young musicians and innovators. The grant to the OneCity program has gone towards commissioning an honorary piece that will be performed by the students of the program, as well as teaching students the relationship between Les Paul and Bronzeville musicians.
This semester, students will be performing in three jazz ensembles and one percussion ensemble on May 10 at 3125 South Federal Street. For Illinois Tech students, this is the Saturday immediately after finals week, which can be a great way to destress and immerse yourself in some local Chicago culture. Admission is free of charge, though the program runs on donations from ordinary people, so free will offerings are accepted at the door. For those unaware, 3125 South Federal Street is on campus, just south of the Kaplan Institute. That is to say, with the timing and convenience, there is little reason to not support these kids! I know I will certainly be there, and I hope to see plenty of Illinois Tech students show up.