Anthony Kim (Violin) – South Bay Branch
Peninsula High (Class of 2022)
My time with Love in Music is nothing but a long journey and endeavor. I have been with Love in Music since early August 2018 as a young eighth grader becoming a ninth grader at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Even with the four years volunteering with Love in Music, it was so much different when I first joined: we only had four teachers, including me, and we were never the South Branch that it is today. We were known as the Gardena Branch, one of the smallest branches in Love in Music. As such, we of course had the smallest number of students and it was such a different environment to be in. Regardless of how small our branch was at the time, we still made the most of what we were able to work with; with all the work contributed together, the teachers and I were able to even add more students, teachers, and lesson plans.
Everything seemed to be promising coming into the year 2020. However, the world and my future with Love in Music were going to change drastically. The pandemic was certainly a difficult obstacle to overcome; I had to work with even less than I had offline. In particular, many of the older, experienced volunteers who I had always looked up to had graduated in 2020. So, I had to learn how to teach the music material with my students on my own. I took advantage of the Internet’s useful videos and resources, easily-accessible Zoom meetings, and extended lessons that usually went past my normal hours. It was during the pandemic where I slowly learned my own style of teaching and independence while also learning to become more capable as a teacher. It definitely challenged my leadership and teaching ability coming out of the pandemic and back in person two school years later.
Coming back from the pandemic was one of the most difficult obstacles that I had encountered up until that point. Coming back to anything for almost two years is difficult in of itself, but to now be one of the oldest and most experienced teachers with the new South Bay Branch while also having double the amount of both teachers and students to set the example for was initially overwhelming. As I got to know the students and volunteers, though, I began to get more comfortable and adjust. I realized then, especially during my senior year, that I would never have to do anything alone because I would always have a great group of teachers and students to educate me, make me laugh, and give me the wisdom that I need to teach them music.
It’s a little sad to see how quickly my time with Love in Music has come and gone, but I look back at my time there with hope. I hope that other volunteers can experience their own journey with Love in Music and remember to try their very best, even when times or situations may look unideal for you. They have great teachers, volunteers, and students that bring the very best that music programs can offer. I hope for the very best for Love in Music and the people that make it possible.