2 women working to diversify access to music in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Christina Brier described music as a stability in her life. No matter what was going on as a child, she could always turn to her harp and find comfort in it.

Now, Brier and her childhood friend Linda Estep are trying to spread the same comfort and joy to children in Wilmington through their program Music is Life.

Estep and Brier opened the Brooklyn Arts Music Academy in Wilmington in 2018, and through that, they started the Music is Life program, bringing free music classes to 280 preschool students.

“The whole goal with the program is we’re trying to help kids improve resiliency skills. So many kids in our community have experienced a lot of adverse childhood experiences,” Brier said. “While we can’t fix all of those things, we can come into the school day and bring this joy and safety and security for them.”

The Music is Life program is in partnership with Dorothy B. Johnson Pre-K, giving students who may not have the opportunity otherwise a chance to learn to play musical instruments and participate in singing, dancing and games. The main goal of the program is to teach students resiliency and problem-solving skills by learning to play the harp or violin.

It focuses on social-emotional growth, physical, cognitive and language development in children three to five years old. And the women in charge say they’re seeing the program’s impact on the children they work with.

“It’s a very joyful and bright way to improve those things and to really engage children’s brains,” Brier said.

Estep said for many of the children they work with at the preschool, music class is where they feel most calm. She described one child in the Exceptional Children’s program who went from having numerous behavioral problems to being the most relaxed his teachers have...