Meet the Artist: Andrew Moses
Andrew Moses
At just 14 years old, Andrew Moses’ virtuosic clarinet playing is exceeded only by his good heart. He first appeared on From the Top with Host Christopher O’Riley Show 273 in El Paso, Texas. In addition, he was a recipient of the From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, a $10,000 scholarship given to extraordinary young musicians with financial need. The outreach project associated with the Award allowed Andrew to help his community in a new way.
In 2013, the Westside Learning Zone, an after-school academic and youth mentoring program in Los Angeles, was struggling financially. In addition, it did not have a music component. Andrew saw this as an opportunity for arts leadership.
“I felt a desire to both share music with the kids, and also find a way to raise money for the program,” he said.
He split his time with this organization into two components. The first was creating and hosting a music education event, where he introduced music and clarinet to a group of kids, and the second was a performance.
“I distinctly remember seeing the kids’ honest hunger to explore this new world of art,” he said. “They were so receptive and passionate – really inspiring!”
Andrew leading a music workshop for students at the Learning Zone
Andrew was surprised by their reaction to one particular part of the workshop:
“I had the students draw (using markers and crayons) what they felt when they heard Beethoven, and found the results to be pretty shocking. One young girl drew a thunderstorm, another drew fighting dinosaurs, and some simply scribbled different textures out of their emotional reaction to the piece. I realized that these kids want to express themselves through art; they just usually don’t have the means to do so. I hope this project gave them some tools to get started. I’m really inspired to do more!”
Andrew organized the workshop to take place at an earlier date than his performance in the hopes that students, their families, and Learning Zone volunteers and staff would be interested to attend. His tactic worked! Many people came to hear Andrew perform, some of whom were experiencing a live concert for the first time.
Andrew performing at his clarinet recital to benefit the Learning Zone
The proceeds of the performance went directly to the Learning Zone. Not only did the audience love Andrew’s performance, but they also raised $4,500 raised to help the program.
After the entire project was complete, Andrew reflected on his experience:
“To me, being an arts leader means pouring out my gifts freely and selflessly, as I have received them. I want to do this with joy and passion with the hope of really inspiring those who listen.”
With talent and integrity like this, the future looks very bright for classical music and for the next generation of musicians.
Watch Andrew’s video about his outreach with the Learning Zone here:
To find out more about Andrew, visit his website, http://www.andrewmoses.com/
Newsflash! He was also recently awarded a Composer Fellowship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic!
