An 11-year-old Queens student is changing his school, one note at a time. Paul Sheriff, a student at Public School 37 in New York City, saw his classmates suffering from the school’s lack of a permanent band instructor (a gap created by budget constraints) and decided to take over the teaching duties himself.
A pianist and saxophone player, Paul started his musical endeavor by jamming with a few friends at lunch. The group of students began to grow by the dozens, eventually becoming large enough to perform music by artists such as Bob Marley, Lil Wayne and Ben E. King.
According to New York Daily News, “Music makes this school more alive,” said sixth-grader Sheriff, leader of the Cynthia Jenkins School Band. “The school is better with music in it.”
“To see him doing this is a wonderful thing,” Assistant Principal Cheryl Jones also told the New York Daily News. “It adds dimension to the school.”
Paul’s love of music truly does come from the heart — his mother explained that since the death of his father, Paul has found his greatest comfort through song.
“Music is a wonderful thing,” she said. “It soothes the soul and comforts the heart.”
In a world of dwindling fine arts programs and creatively starved children, it is certainly both soothing and comforting to see someone with such heart doing something about it.
Sources:
New York Daily News
NY Newsday
