Finding His Groove Through After School Strings
When Jayden Gbedjangni’s school announced a “dress as someone who inspires you” day, the sixth grader didn’t have to think long. He showed up in jeans, a polo shirt, and a name tag reading “Mr. Kaiser” — his cello teacher through MacPhail’s After School Strings Program at Ascension Catholic School in North Minneapolis. When he saw the real Mr. Kaiser that afternoon, “He was shocked,” Jayden recalls with a smile. “You could see the look on his face. He was shocked and happy.”
After seeing his older brother come home every day with a cello during his own time in After School Strings, Jayden, 11, knew he wanted to do the same. Now in his third year with the program, Jayden has found his groove. “When I started, I would always get my finger positions wrong, but now it’s easy for me to visualize,” he explains. Mr. Kaiser (recently profiled on our website for an Up Tempo! campaign update) has been instrumental in his growth. “He’s very inviting, and he’s funny,” Jayden says.
And performances? Piece of cake. Even Jayden’s first time on stage didn’t make him nervous. “He was so excited to play in front of people,” mom Adjo remembers. At home, the family sometimes gets together for impromptu concerts. “We just sit in the living room and enjoy,” Adjo says, beaming. “I love to see my family growing up in music.”
Jayden’s experience captures a primary goal of MacPhail’s school partnerships, to enrich the lives of young people and their families and bring music learning opportunities to students with limited access. Through After School Strings, MacPhail provides instruments, materials, and instruction to fourth through eighth graders at Ascension, removing barriers that could prevent students from accessing quality music education.
The program’s impact extends beyond musical skills. Wilder Research, a third-party research agency hired to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, found that students are more motivated to attend school on After School Strings days and show improvement in their focus, leadership, and independent learning abilities. “I focus on the music, so I focus better on school,” one participant shared. Perhaps most importantly, students practice resilience. As one student described, “I’ve learned how to stay calm when things are tricky.”
For Jayden, After School Strings has opened new possibilities. He plans to continue with the program as long as he can, and he’s even thinking about taking individual lessons at MacPhail’s downtown Minneapolis location. With the support of his family and Mr. Kaiser, we have a feeling Jayden’s best performances are yet to come.
Special thanks to these partners for their longstanding support of MacPhail’s programming at Ascension Catholic School: Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation, Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation, George Family Foundation, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Mary and the late Paul Reyelts, Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation.
