Ric Wilberg has a little bit of camp director and a little bit of grandfather in him, as he gives a tour of the classes in progress at his neighborhood music school Joyful Noise. That din of learning is reflected in the name of his school is all around him. For five years, Joyful Noise has offered free individual music lessons. If a student doesn’t have an instrument to play on, they’ll let him borrow one.
Wilberg knows the stories of his kids — where they’re from and
what’s going on with their families — and of the volunteer
teachers. As he walks from room to room talking about them, his respect
and pride are unmistakable. He points out one student who, after his
interest was kindled at Joyful Noise, auditioned for and was accepted
at the Cleveland School of the Arts.
Wilberg himself is not a musician. A retired minister, he started
the school with five volunteer teachers and 13 kids in donated space in
the Disciples of Christ church on West Boulevard. “I kept hearing
people at community meetings wishing they could get a trumpet, or
lessons,” he explains. “People work a job or two, or two and a half,
and they have to put up a roof and bread on the table, and they can’t
afford extras.”
The initial group of students has grown to 160, and he’s had a
steady stream of teachers, from the occasional conservatory-trained
player to longtime, self-taught musicians. The current teacher roster
stands at about 25. They currently operate at St. Luke Lutheran Church
at West 86th and Sauer.
After five years, the school throws its first benefit this weekend,
with food, drinks and, of course, music, at Massimo da Milano. “It’s
grown beyond what I ever thought,” says Wilberg.
This article appears in Apr 1-7, 2009.