KIDS4KIDS Concert Benefits Japan Quake Victims

At the Third Annual KIDS4KIDS Through Music on May 21, twenty young musicians performed a benefit concert to help victims of Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami. 
 
The twenty musicians, pianists who range from age 6 to age 13, played  alongside Princeton University students who shared performances on the flute, clarinet, violin and piano.
 
KIDS4KIDS Through Music convenes music exchange and at the same time raises consciousness and money for children in need in different parts of the world. The event is organized by Lidia Usami, a Princeton-based teacher of piano, who believes strongly in the power of music to bring people together in a constructive way that helps those in need around the world.
 
This year, the young musicians have already raised over $2,300 to send to an International School in Sendai, Japan. In between busy rehearsals for their upcoming performance, the young musicians have been folding origami cranes to help raise funds to send to Japan.
 
In previous years, KIDS4KIDS Through Music has raised thousands of dollars to help build schools in Pakistan and to aid victims of a cyclone that hit Burma.
 
Usami believes that sharing the gift of music can show young students how music can bring people closer together and can transcend cultural differences. At a benefit concert, younger students are often inspired by the example and dedication of older students who share their experiences of learning music, practicing scales, and discovering favorite songs and compositions.