When 11th grader Mayira Rodriguez heard The Juilliard School would be offering free instruction in playing musical instruments at her high school, The Academy of Mount St. Ursula, she was one of the first to sign up for the program.

“I thought I would just sign up to get the information,” Mayira says. “But once I found out more about it, I never took my name off.”

The partnership with Juilliard and the program began this past fall and currently has 11 participants, including Mayira, who receive twice weekly instruction from two Juilliard teaching fellows on brass and woodwind instruments. The Bedford Park all-girls academy is the only city high school participating in the renowned music school’s program.

The program provides a boost for the academy’s efforts to expand its arts program, said the school’s president, Father John Vigilanti. “When so many schools are cutting back on the arts, we want to make the arts what we are known for,” Vigilanti said.

Plus, Vigilanti added, “It costs the school nothing except the girls’ dedication to do this.”

Juilliard’s reputation attracted several students. “I wanted to see what the caliber of people from Juilliard was like,” said ninth-grader Josephine Nguyen. “I never knew music could be so fun and that I would be able to read the notes and make a pretty sound out of it.”

Junior Nicole Carumba agreed. “Juilliard is one of the greatest schools of music and you are learning from the best.”

Freshman Awura Ama wanted to learn to play the clarinet. “I wanted to learn to play an instrument and I like how the instructors simplify it so it is not so hard.”

Juilliard’s Instrumental Music Program started in 1999 and is funded by Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse. In order to become teaching fellows, Juilliard students undergo a rigorous application process that includes an audition, creating lesson plans, and attending training sessions.

Donna White, Juilliard’s educational outreach director, is impressed with the students. “The fact that they are sounding like a cohesive unit in addition to their instruction and expanded horizons  is quite an accomplishment,” White said.