High Point University’s Clarice Sigsworth, an AmeriCorps VISTA, teaches music to community children through a new program called Washington Street Music and Movement Collective.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 13, 2020 – Clarice Sigsworth, a High Point University AmeriCorps VISTA, has a love for music, and she has invited community children to share that passion in a new program she helped organize.
Sigsworth, an Ohio native and HPU alumna, created the Washington Street Music and Movement Collective, an afterschool program that teaches children between the ages of 6 and 10 how to play musical instruments like the saxophone, flute and clarinet. The program is a part of D-UP, a local nonprofit and afterschool program aimed at teaching children how to live healthy lifestyles.
Sigsworth teaches the group of children every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon beginning at 3:20 p.m. at the Hayden-Harman Foundation on Washington Street. The program will continue through April where the children will play in a recital for the general public.
“I see them grow each week,” said Sigsworth. “Every time I see them, they can focus a little longer, they play a little bit better and more importantly they play more confidently.”
Alexis Ponce-Cisneros, a nine-year-old, is learning how to play the clarinet.
“My favorite part about playing the clarinet is the keys,” said Ponce-Cisneros. “The keys are my favorite because they make the notes. Miss Clarice is the best at teaching because she respects others and teaches us a lot of notes.”
Sigsworth was inspired to create a woodwind ensemble because of city of High Point musical icon, John Coltrane, a saxophonist, who grew up in High Point.
“Clarice really knows how to engage with the kids, and they really enjoy learning from her,” said Patrick Harman, executive director of the Hayden-Harman Foundation, the organization that provided the location and instruments for the program. “We enjoy working with her because we can tell she has a passion for teaching music.”