VYMA fosters a love of music in its diverse student population.

By Mikaela STONE

What happens when an orchestra combines a nurturing, non-competitive environment with one-on-one coaching by talented industry professionals? The Verdugo Young Musicians Association (VYMA) worked the last 24 years endeavoring to provide this. The results are devoted staff, volunteers and students who focus on building skill and fostering a lifelong love of music. 

VYMA director and La Crescenta resident Samvel Chilingarian’s extensive credits include teaching and directing violin and viola at Whittier College and East Los Angeles College and playing with his own chamber music band, the Elixir Piano Trio. Under his direction, VYMA grew from one orchestra to three, each serving students with different skill levels. No students are turned away due to skill level and instead placed in the orchestra where they will be comfortable but challenged. Chilingarian described this “rewarding and challenging process” as only being possible because of the great musicians and pedagogues he surrounds himself with – he believes the extra layers of mentorship VYMA provides, including both one-on-one coaching and sectionals, is the reason for the program’s success. 

Chilingarian is inspired by the Venezuelan teaching style of El Sistema, a community-based approach that focuses on the whole child. 

“Every student is a whole world,” explained Chilingarian. “They communicate differently, they respond differently.” 

When teaching, he endeavors to understand the obstacles students are coping with – whether their struggles with music come from a mental block, coordination struggles or lack of clear instructions – all of which require approaching lessons differently. Chilingarian believes that as long as he is learning while he teaches, he is doing well. While this approach benefits all students, children with autism or ADHD especially flourish with personalized guidance. 

Chilingarian’s own background in music was not quite so flexible. After emigrating from Egypt to a USSR-controlled Armenia still reeling from genocide, Chilingarian’s mother gave up her pianist dreams to support her family. Chilingarian hoped to follow in his mother’s footsteps but his government-controlled primary school required extensive testing to qualify for music teaching and resources. The testers decided he would play violin due to his having a long pinky, regardless of his desire to play the piano. His mother acquiesced, believing the school knew best. Now Chilingarian’s children play in VYMA the instruments they choose. He considers it “a dream come true that my own kids benefited from something I established,” back before Chilingarian was even married. 

During his time with VYMA, Chilingarian reports seeing shy students open up and enjoying the process of music creation. The orchestra has grown as a collective as students build both their IQ by engaging their senses and analytical abilities and their EQ, or emotional quotient, by participating creatively in a community where they belong regardless of race, financial background or ability level. 

In 2009, he began the VYMA music project at Longfellow Elementary school, a Title One school, ensuring free instruments and instruction to 100 Longfellow Elementary students. The program resulted in both blossoming talent and confidence in the children … and many successful performances. 

During his free time, Chilingarian’s own performances with the Elixir Piano Trio allow students of VYMA to see professionals put into action what the children are learning. The trio consists of Chilingarian, teacher and award winning pianist Lucy Nargizyan, who works closely with VYMA as both an accompanist pianist and is Chilingarian’s wife, and Fang Fang Xu, LA Philharmonic and LA Chamber Orchestra cellist. The three perform across Europe, Mexico and the United States. The Elixir Trio will play at Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai on Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. 

Chilingarian hopes children and parents will take a chance on VYMA. He believes the best way to understand the orchestra is to experience it for oneself. 

“You can only see the full picture when you see the starting point and the finished work,” he said. 

For professional violinist and composer Abby Abdel-Khalek, VYMA was her starting point. She began to play the violin at just 5 years of age. During her time with the orchestra, VYMA partnered with the LA Philharmonic to offer students a chance to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. She credits this inspiring experience with jump-starting her career. Over the years, VYMA has also offered students the chance to play in places such as Disney Hall and Thorne Hall. 

In spite of her busy schedule playing scores for film and TV such as “Star Trek: Picard” and BBC’s “Planet Earth II,” composing for film festivals such as the Cairo International Film Festival and Marrakech Film Festival and collaborating with organizations such as the Human Rights Watch, Abdel-Khalek gives back by coaching for VYMA. The orchestra’s little girls especially find Abdel-Khalek a mentor worth looking up to. During her time working professionally, she has learned to be disciplined– but not too hard on herself – and that it is about the journey, not the destination. 

“You know all those cliche sayings?” Abdel-Khalek joked. “Unfortunately I found out those are true.” 

She said she passes these lessons on to her students.

Sandra “Sandi” Holden started out as a parent watching her children perform in VYMA. After seeing VYMA’s impact, she joined the program’s staff and is now the communications director. She is a music educator and composer as well and believes in the importance of exposing children to whatever will stick. This skill set allows her to stand in for VYMA coaches when necessary. 

Learning piano as a child, Holden saw that the teachers with the most impact were not the ones who insisted on only one way to learn, but the ones who helped her discover breakthroughs – a mindset she feels Chilingarian embodies as a parent, friend and maestro who “doesn’t let anybody slide but also doesn’t intimidate.” 

Holden’s son found his identity in VYMA. Strong-willed and rebellious, her son tested out of high school to protest the students who “fell through the cracks” and began college at 16. Holden feared that her son’s unorthodox approach to life may lead him into trouble, but VYMA allowed him to find his passion and keep community with his peers. He found his own identity, separate from expectations. 

“Usually the classical world doesn’t go with the skater world [which her son belongs to] but it did for my son,” Holden added. 

VYMA’s focus on community and rejection of elitism gave her son a place that affirmed his beliefs and taught responsibility. Now 25, her son is equally skilled with the Timpani drum and a skateboard. 

“This is the most wonderful setting for any young musician,” Holden said. “Please try us out. We look forward to whatever you play at whatever skill level. What I say is true!” 

VYMA parent and music education doctoral student Angela Chong was shocked by the growth she saw in her daughter. Chilingarian presented difficult music, such as Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, as a challenge to rise up to rather than meeting intimidating expectations. Empowered by this mindset, Chong’s daughter mastered the pieces Chong had not previously realized her child was capable of. She said she never encountered an orchestra where so much individual attention was given adding that if she had been taught by someone like Chilingarian, she may not have such anxiety surrounding performing with her own violin. 

Chong noted that pushing students to do things they are not ready for may yield results but can make students resent music, while meeting a child where they are emotionally and showing they are more skilled than they think in the long run will be much more effective. 

Chong’s research analyzes the backgrounds of families involved in music, looking at what parents have in common that encourage their children’s musical aspirations. With VYMA’s students hailing from many different backgrounds, Chong has so far found that her fellow families have more in common than not. 

COVID and the Eaton Fire have been difficult on the community and VYMA has again experienced the difficult switch from online to in-person. Due to fires, VYMA moved the placement audition date to Feb. 14.  

VYMA is committed to ensuring students of any financial background have the chance to play music and offer partial and full scholarships for those struggling. The orchestra will ensure students who have lost instruments in the fires are still able to participate, continuing VYMA’s record of providing necessary resources. The orchestra accepts students from Arcadia, La Crescenta, Los Angeles and all surrounding areas. The spring performance will be on May 17 at John Muir High School.