Nun devotes life to bringing music education to all

When Sister Beth Dowd grew up in Holyoke, Mass., her parents nurtured a love of music in her and her siblings. “Music was the centerpiece of activity in our home every night as well as in the schools,” she said. She also recalled that taking piano lessons was not an expensive proposition for her family back in the ”™40s. It cost about a $1 for a one-hour instruction, something she would keep uppermost in mind when she founded the New Rochelle Catholic Elementary School Choir in 1979.

Directing a choir was a dream come true for Dowd. She said she knew at the age of 14 that it was what she wanted to do with her life. But it also got her to think about how she would live up to the ideal of what it means to be a sister of the Order of St. Ursula, specifically “to build a community wherever you go and to know that that each person you touch is engraved in your heart.” Her idea for building a community was to create a music education program aimed at children living in low-income households. However that idea manifested itself, it would reflect Dowd”™s stated belief that “all children should have access to private instrumental music lessons regardless of affordability.”

Leveraging the bonds she had established over the years with New Rochelle High School and The College of New Rochelle Campus Ministry, her vision started to become a reality in 1994 when she incorporated the choir into a newly formed enterprise named Songcatchers.

What began as a modest music education program with a small number of students and volunteers housed at New Rochelle High School grew impressively ”” so much so that the program had to move to larger accommodations at St. Gabriel”™s High School. There, instruction is given in three classrooms and sometimes the hallways and a stairwell have to be used to accommodate the overflow. “We are bursting at the seams, thanks to the strong word of mouth of parents about how Songcatchers has transformed their children”™s lives,” Dowd said.

Since its inception, Songcatchers has realized its mission of “reaching for peace through music” by providing quality, affordable and accessible music instruction programs to more than 6,000 underprivileged youths. Its offerings include after-school and early childhood programs, a summer choir camp and a concert choir of children and adults.

Participants range from 18 months to 16 years of age and hail not only from New Rochelle but from Mamaroneck, Tarrytown and Rye as well. They are learning how to play the piano, flute, guitar and other instruments as well as sing in a chorus. They perform together at concerts throughout the year as well as at civic and interfaith events in the community.

Dowd said the impact that Songcatchers is having on children and the community is powerful. She quoted the Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály, who developed innovative methods of teaching music to children: “Music enters our being as nothing else and it affects you one way or another.” She said the magic that comes with learning to play an instrument or sing in a choir helps children grow into expressive, confident adults, instilling self-esteem, inner peace and a sense of belonging.

The greatest satisfaction she has derived in the past 20 years is watching the growth of children in every way on every level, Dowd said. “It is inspiring to see how children grow musically and become leaders,” she said. “Learning how to make music together teaches mutual respect as well as a valuable lesson about the importance of collaboration at an early age.”

As part of Songcatchers community outreach activities, children have been making a difference in the lives of seniors at local nursing homes. “They not only sing for them but also join them in song as well. It”™s truly a wonderful experience to see how music enlivens the seniors, especially those afflicted with Alzheimer”™s disease and dementia,” Dowd said. “As one 11-year-old girl who participated said, ”˜Music makes you realize who you are.”™”

Dowd said she also is heartened by seeing alumni return to Songcatchers to serve as mentors. “Increasingly our volunteers are professional musicians who are raising the bar to instruct the next generation of aspiring musicians,” she said.

Given all she has achieved, Dowd will be honored Nov. 21 when she is presented with the National Guild for Community Arts Education Milestone Award for her service to the field of arts education.

When she returns from the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, she will prepare for another milestone ”” Songcatchers”™ 20th anniversary Concert for Peace, which will be staged at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 14 in the College of New Rochelle chapel. As the music director, she will lead a large ensemble of singers and instrumentalists in a performance of holiday songs, culminating with the rising of a large earth flag as children proclaim a litany for peace ”” for a world they wish to be where there is no hunger or homelessness or war.

The concert will be a fitting affirmation of Songcatchers”™ journey: “What we are dong together goes beyond here. Our thoughts and energies through music are making a lasting impact on the world.”