CLEVELAND — A Cleveland area non-profit is bringing sweet music to the ears of children across Northeast Ohio.
It's celebrating more than 15 years of lessons and lives changed. The Cleveland Classical Guitar Society does it all through the power of instruction and education.
Cleveland has one of the highest poverty rates of any large city in the U.S.
This non-profit breaks down barriers for kids who often don't get to experience music or the arts. It has since helped thousands develop skills they never knew they had. Officials say the benefits are beyond measure.
With each strum of the chords on a guitar, Daziel Perez is taken to a place he's never been before.
"The more you do it—you get used to it. And the more you love it as well," said Perez, a former Cleveland Classical Guitar Society student.
This instrument has positively changed his life and paved a journey he never quite anticipated.
"It really just showed me what I really wanted to do in life," Perez said.
It all started when Perez was a 12-year-old student in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. He had recently moved from Puerto Rico.
"It definitely gave me a path to follow and something to look forward to," Perez said.
He was introduced to Erik Mann and the non-profit he's led for the last 15 years called the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society.
"If it weren't for them, I probably would've not touched a guitar, or even thought about majoring in music in college," Perez said.
Note by note, Mann has been on a mission to bring music to Cleveland's youth and serve the underserved.
"Twelve years ago, in 2012, we started our education program, serving youth from the city of Cleveland," said Mann, Executive Director of the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society.
He and his small team of instructors go directly into Cleveland Public Schools, bringing the instruments and lessons along for the ride.
"Most of the kids who walk in the door have never touched a guitar before," Mann said.
The lessons and guitars are 100% free of charge.
The students are actually gifted the guitars so they can practice at home and hone their craft.
"We want to be able to level the playing field between kids in the city and elsewhere," Mann said.
The program ramped up after Mann noticed how few arts opportunities were available and often cut entirely from schools.
He’s witnessed the change and success firsthand—enamored by present and past students like Daziel, who have immersed themselves in the arts.
"Daziel was in the program just a few months when I first met him. And his teacher told me, 'Hey, there's this kid you gotta hear play," Mann said.
Daziel's growth and natural ability are unmatched and get better each day.
Mann says the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society wouldn't be possible without the support of The Cleveland Foundation and generous donors.
The skills learned here are invaluable.
"We're teaching the kids perseverance and grit. We're teaching them teamwork. We're teaching them a lot of social, emotional learning skills," Mann said.
The possibilities and future through music are endless, he says.
Daziel is now in college, pursuing a career in what started out as a hobby. Music is his future.
"Guitar just changed my life. It just made me realize, well, this is really cool. I wanna do this," Perez said.
The non-profit has helped thousands of students achieve pinnacle success, from scholarships to employment to major opportunities working in the music industry.
To enroll your child, donate and learn more about the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society—click here.
