Our mission is to help young people to set goals, surpass them, and achieve excellence through the practice of classical music.
Changing Young Lives
Through Music
Profiles in Music
INSPIRED TO ASPIRE - ANSLEY As I am nearing the end of my degree work in music education at the University of Georgia, I can’t help but reflect on the moments and experiences that have gotten me to this point. I am extremely thankful for The Golden Isles Youth Orchestra. This organization presented me with countless opportunities to grow as both a musician and as a person. I have fond memories of making music with friends. When I joined GIYO my freshman year of high school, there were so many new faces. It was such a welcoming environment and gave me the chance to make music with all kinds of people. I’m a clarinet player, and before GIYO, I had never even played with stringed instruments. It is truly special that there is an opportunity for students in this area to play in this kind of musical setting. The Youth Orchestra also introduced me to people who made a huge impact on my life, including Kristen Spiridon. She was the clarinet instructor the first year I attended Summer Camp. I had never had a one-on-one clarinet lesson before, but then ended up taking private lessons from her. The private instruction made all the difference. She was especially helpful as I was preparing for college auditions. I am thankful for GIYO for connecting me to someone who greatly helped me to get to where I am today. After I graduate from UGA in May, I will be certified to teach K-12 music. I can’t wait to be a music educator and inspire people in ways similar to how I was inspired during my time with GIYO. —Ansley McNeese, GIYO Alumna
FROM GHANA TO GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY It all began when their music teacher introduced them to strings in middle school. They showed so much interest and potential that the teacher informed me about GIYO. I was initially hesitant due to the cost, as then I was a single mother of five children coming from Ghana, West Africa. However, with all your precious donations, and support of the businesses in our community, GIYO sponsored my children for their private lessons and camps with me paying little to nothing for their instruction. GIYO gave my children an outlet to express themselves musically. Additionally, it helped them to be disciplined, and learn to multitask. They played at GIYO events, weddings, parties, Christmas parties, and receptions. My oldest son went on to win second place double bass player in the state of Georgia. Today, with your continuous generous donations, I can proudly say that my oldest three children are in college with two of them double majoring in music—Eunice on viola and Truman on string bass—and they are also part of Georgia State University Orchestra. Please continue to donate to GIYO. Your continued support makes an impact in our community by contributing to the success of our youth, and our future leaders. —Rosemary Burns, GIYO Parent
ALL ABOUT THAT BASS: SETTING THE HARMONIC FOUNDATION Undoubtedly you have seen Shania Williams lugging her huge bass and playing with our Chamber Ensemble at local events, church functions, and weddings. Shania has been our Principal Bassist for the last two years. She started playing bass with the Glynn Middle School orchestra where she was spotted by GIYO and invited to take lessons with our instructor Todd Lockwood. She then joined the GIYO Symphonette String Orchestra and continued to develop her skills through lessons. In eighth grade, Shania auditioned and made the GIYO Philharmonia Orchestra, and has played all four years of her high school career. Shania says she loved attending the GIYO summer camps, especially playing camp games with the other students. At Glynn Academy, she has played for and supported her school orchestra. Shania has also represented GIYO and her school at All-State auditions where she has made it to second round, even though she says the auditions made her very nervous. As a senior, Shania has been a leader with the Glynn Academy Orchestra, helping younger students and even conducting a piece for their Christmas Concert. As part of the GIYO Leadership Team she has helped arrange events at summer camp. Shania plans to attend college at either North Carolina A&T or Savannah State University where she will major in Actuarial Science. Her fondest memories of GIYO are playing with her smaller ensembles, especially the end-of-camp performances. We are so proud of all Shania has done during her many years with GIYO and wish her success after graduation!
STRING-ON! HELPS STUDENTS LAUNCH THEIR MUSICAL JOURNEYS String-on! is GIYO’s fifth-grade outreach program that introduces students to instrumental music through week-long intensives hosted by area elementary schools. The program focuses on learning to play classical music on an orchestra string, typically a violin. Musical science concepts, such as sound velocity, vibration, pitch, wave, frequency, the Doppler Effect, amplitude, and sound pressure, are taught as part of this ears-on and hands-on experience. By exposing children to musical concepts and giving them the opportunity to create music themselves, the hope is they will engage in orchestra or band at the middle school level. GIYO General Manager Suzanne Morrison notes, “Many of our current orchestra students first connected with us through String-on! After the pandemic, it is exciting to be back in the elementary schools and see the students get excited about playing music.” Veralynn Lee, is an example of the impact String-on! can make. After participating in String-on! in elementary school, she is currently in Symphonette and plays in her middle school orchestra. Later this year she plans to audition for Philharmonia. As Veralynn says, “String On! taught me many important things. It taught me to practice and to try hard. It was my first time practicing with other people. It taught me to listen carefully, count and play with a group. It was great! I like how it made me think and be more confident when playing. String On! played a very important part in my life, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”
HELPING STUDENTS FIND THEIR MUSICAL VOICE Lucie Akkermans first picked up a violin at age eight. She was in primary school in Wales and given a musical aptitude test which she passed. The instructor who gave the test played the violin as a demonstration, and she immediately fell in love with it. It was all part of a peripatetic music education system where music was highly valued. As Lucie explains, “The Welsh really value the performing arts—’land of poets and singers’ are lyrics in the Welsh nation anthem—and they prioritize a great deal of funding for lessons in schools, as well as all kinds of orchestral opportunities." She was pulled out of class weekly for lessons, and as she progressed began working with local county and regional youth orchestras. At 17 she auditioned for the Youth Orchestra of Wales which she notes is the longest standing youth orchestra in the world. Lucie continued her music education by attending City University of London that has a music program associated with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, one of the premiere conservatories in Britain. Studying under Professor Mark Knight, Lucie found a champion of her goal to pursue music therapy, which is a much different track than most of his students. While at university, she also worked at a children’s hospital in order to immerse herself in the environment she wanted to work in. “I would do lunches with the children and talk with them,” Lucie recalls. In 1998 she began her master’s program in Music Therapy at Cambridge Anglia Ruskin University, though not before taking a 10-week trip to Thailand where she met her husband Josh, who is from Seattle, Washington. After a bit of back and forth over the next couple of years, her degree complete and her U.S. visa finalized, the couple settled in Seattle where Lucie taught music in private schools and after starting her family—she has three children each with their own musical talents—offered private lessons in the evenings. Lucie herself began performing again in 2010 when she joined the Everett Philharmonic Orchestra. Today Lucie is working with Camden County Schools to bring music back into the schools. She is coordinating with Camden County School District’s new Fine Arts Director, Dr. Day, and others to bring the String-On program back to the county. She is also the Philarmonia Coordinator/Music Librarian/Lessons Coordinator for GIYO. “Music isn’t as prolific in schools here in the U.S. as it is in Britain,” Lucie explains. “I look back and have so much appreciation for what was gifted to me. This is what inspires me to be a part of GIYO—to help provide opportunity for music learning and orchestral playing to students in an underserved community.” Reflecting back on her music therapy roots, she says the point of it is, “To provide a way to express yourself nonverbally, which hinges on the idea that everyone has the inherent right and ability to do so. This now extends to my teaching.” Passion and practice are what Lucie wants to see from her students during lessons. For those who want to pursue, learn and enjoy music, she wants to ensure they have access to that right. Her only criteria are that the students are willing to work hard and commit to the journey of learning, and she will help them “find their voice.” “Music makes you a part of a community, a place of belonging, and some kids never find that space,” Lucie says. “By investing in the arts, we are investing in the future, offering students a chance to build community, discover and build skill sets which can socially impact people in a very positive way. GIYO is an example of an opportunity to be immersed in and experience orchestra and repertoire that really can be life changing.”
FIFTH GRADERS HAVE PIZZICATO! As part of GIYO’s String-On! program, instructors and volunteers go into Glynn County elementary schools and instruct fifth graders to familiarize them with the violin. During the week, students learn the parts of the violin and bow, how to correctly hold them, the notes represented by the four strings on the violin, how to pluck the strings (pizzicato), and how to play a simple tune. Lessons on vibrato, timbre, forte, piano, and other musical terms are given, demonstrated, and performed. Douglas Marshall, Golden Isles Elementary music instructor, was asked about the value of the String-On! program. He professed, “It is great to see the kiddos work towards playing a tune all week long and accomplish this as a team. The String-On! program sparks an interest in many of them to continue learning not only the violin but other instruments as well. It gives them a chance to see that they can do it and be successful at something they did not think they could do. Watching kids gain confidence as they progress through the String-On! week is really cool to see!” On Fridays, each class plays their piece for a visiting professional musician from the Coastal Symphony. The visiting artist then plays their instrument for the class and has a Q&A session. This year, classes have had the opportunity to hear a trombone, clarinet, French horn, and violin. The partnership that GIYO has formed with Coastal Symphony has been a wonderful addition to the String-On! program. We hope to see many of the String-On! students in lessons, camp this summer or joining orchestra as they go to middle school next year.
THE "CANDY MAN" MAKES IT HAPPEN Uli Keller has been a GIYO board member for over a decade, contributing in countless ways to the success of the organization. Uli has been the board liaison with the Philharmonia, helping with the instruction and rehearsals directed by Maestro Peña. He is affectionately known by the young musicians as the “Candy Man” who provides them snacks on their breaks during the rehearsals. Additionally, Uli has played the critical role of securing the various types of insurance that are vital to GIYO’s operation as a non-profit civic organization. Through his generous giving, he provided the initial funding to secure the iPads which are used by the young musicians to access their music during instruction and performances. He has also been a highly effective fundraiser for GIYO working with many donors and philanthropies to secure their funding support. Uli says one of the most rewarding aspects of GIYO is seeing the tremendous accomplishments of the young musicians as they progress through their musical education, gaining skills and proficiency. He noted, “The young kids put so much energy and effort into mastering their instruments and seeing their progress over time is one of the greatest rewards of GIYO. GIYO represents one of the best investments we can make in the youth of the Golden Isles. We provide our young musicians with a way to gain exposure to the arts and humanities that is missing from our local schools. To see how well our students do in terms of graduating and moving on to higher education, or their careers, is one of the most gratifying aspects of GIYO’s success.” Uli reflects the passion of the board members of GIYO to be “all in” on the organization and its mission of “changing young lives through music.”
GIYO: A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR THE JAMIESON FAMILY Music has been an integral part of the Jamieson family landscape for many years and paved the way for a GIYO family legacy. Oldest brother Henry studied piano for 12 years, violin for three years, performed in the youth orchestra Ensemble, and attended GIYO camps. Brother Turner studied piano for 10 years. Henry and Turner performed in recitals and at nursing homes. Younger sister Isabella played viola in the St. Francis Xavier School ensemble, GIYO Symphonette and Philharmonia and performed in many venues across the community. She also attended music camps, has studied piano for 11 years and is now focused on dance. And so, the GIYO torch has been passed to George Jamieson. George took the plunge into music with piano lessons at the age of five. While he has been playing piano for 12 years, seven years ago he expanded into strings instruction. George’s mom, Michele Jamieson, a very accomplished pianist, nurtured his love for music. George played in GIYO’s Symphonette in the fifth grade under the instruction of longtime Symphonette conductor Todd Lockwood. George continued his music education at St. Francis Catholic School, where he played violin in the school’s ensemble in sixth through eighth grade, at which time he advanced into GIYO’s Philharmonia. George has thoroughly enjoyed playing with GIYO’s ensemble, noting that they have played concerts and recitals “everywhere”—churches, homes, retirement communities, in public venues. He loves Philharmonia and finds it challenging, but relishes hearing months of work come together at the capstone concerts. George also finds the GIYO camps to be a great experience with good, knowledgeable instructors. The instruction is very helpful in building his repertoire and preparing him for auditions. He likes to instruct and give tips to new players who may be in his camp strings section. George is well on his way to mastering both piano and violin. He placed first in the Mozart Society’s piano competition in seventh and ninth grades. Michele is the other half of the dynamic Jamieson musical duo. Recruited to the Symphony Board many years ago (2012) by JoAnn Davis, one of GIYO’s founders, Michele has made invaluable contributions to GIYO’s success. She has accompanied the GIYO Ensemble on piano for the past 10 years. She enjoys working with young musicians who themselves work so hard. Michele takes special pride in their joy when the music all comes together. She observes that the magic of playing music transfers into their lives through their academic success, organizational skills, time management, and citizenship. Like her son George, Michele played piano from age five though seventeen. Although she took time off during college, she started piano lessons anew when she became a mother. Michele has played for special school programs, weddings, and funerals, and accompanied Mass musicians at her church and St. Francis Xavier School. In 2022, she wowed everyone with her performance of a Mozart Concerto as the featured pianist at GIYO’s Fall Recital. Michele has found her time with GIYO’s ensemble to be great fun. She notes the group is a great ambassador for GIYO across the community, be it First Friday, Cotillion, Marshes Edge, or graduates’ Baccalaureate. As for her service on the GIYO board, she enjoys being part of a working Board, referring to it as a dedicated “village” which steps up when needed. GIYO cannot ask for a more dedicated cheerleader or accompanist than Michele Jamieson. And son George could not have a better musical mentor than his mom Michele.
FROM FIRST CHAIR TO WHERE THEY ARE NOW: JASON CHERNE Jason Cherne was the Philharmonia’s Concertmaster from 2019 to 2021. At five, he fell in love with music and instruments. Gifted his first violin and lessons by his grandparents at age nine, he has played ever since, stating, “The violin has shaped my life.” He played with Symphonette in fifth through seventh grades, after which he auditioned for and earned a chair with the Philharmonia. Graduating from Glynn Academy in 2021, he began pursuing his degree in music performance for violin at Georgia Southern University. After two years there, he is transferring to the University of North Florida. In between, he has been building his professional reputation from Statesboro to Savannah and across the Golden Isles with private gigs, shows in schools, performing with quartets, at churches and at community events. His ultimate goal is to play with the pit orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
FROM FIRST CHAIR TO WHERE THEY ARE NOW: EMILY HUTCHINS Emily Hutchins was the 2021-2022 Concertmaster. Her musical journey began at the end of sixth grade when she mentioned to her chorus teacher at Glynn Middle, Mary Pipkin, that she wanted to learn to play the violin. Ms. Pipkin sent her home with a book and violin for the summer and told her to “see what you can do.” What she did was teach herself how to play the violin well enough to join the Glynn Middle orchestra at the start of seventh grade. Ms. Pipkin recommended her for Symphonette the next year, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history. Her GIYO rehearsals were partnered with private lessons from GIYO alumna Stephenie Powell, who helped Emily prepare for the audition of a lifetime during the summer of 2021, resulting in her earning the coveted first violin, first chair. Currently, Emily is pursuing her bachelor’s in geology at Valdosta State University. Violin still plays a part in her life as she can often be found playing at church services, weddings or just for fun with her favorite duo partner, Stephenie.