{"id":262363,"date":"2026-05-07T18:36:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/262363\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T18:36:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:36:07","slug":"the-sound-of-service-hillsborough-county-school-music-program-encourages-students-to-lift-their-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/262363\/","title":{"rendered":"The sound of service: Hillsborough County school music program encourages students to lift their community"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Students at Kenneth E. Adum K-8 Magnet School are using music to make a difference through a unique Music Ambassadors Program focused on advocacy.<\/p>\n<p>TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 At Kenneth E. Adum K-8 Magnet School in Hillsborough County, students are discovering that music can do much more than entertain, but bring people together and create meaningful change.<\/p>\n<p>Through the school\u2019s Music Ambassadors Program, students are combining music education with community service, leadership and advocacy. The student-led initiative encourages children to use their passion for music to help others across Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA central theme is to have students understand their role, not just as students, but connect with the greater community,\u201d music teacher Jonathan Casanas said. \u201cFigure out not just what they can do here, but how they can extend their knowledge outside of these walls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program goes beyond traditional music instruction. Students research community needs, organize outreach projects and partner with local organizations to expand access to music education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe research what we can help, and then we set up a drive,\u201d third grader Jackson Mesmer said. \u201cAnd then we give the donations to the people we are helping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the group\u2019s biggest partnerships this year has been with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oozion.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Out of Zion<\/a> project, which provides fine arts programming for students with exceptional medical needs and cognitive disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Casanas says students wanted to help provide adaptive musical instruments and supplies that allow more children to participate in music programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudents with exceptional medical needs, kids who might struggle to find their way into music, we wanted to provide them with an opportunity to have the materials they rely on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>For many students involved in the program, the experience has changed the way they see their role in the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t think kids could make such a big impact with other organizations,\u201d fifth grader Ellie Gordon said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m just so glad I did this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Students say music has become a way to connect with others while building confidence, leadership skills and empathy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic brings people together,\u201d fifth grader Lucia Bunker said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter who you are \u2014 it just brings people together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Music Ambassadors Program is now in its second year, and organizers say interest continues to grow as other schools look at creating similar programs of their own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe take for granted that music is in our schools,\u201d Casanas said. \u201cBut the truth is, it\u2019s only there because people advocate for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For these students, music is becoming more than a class or extracurricular activity; it\u2019s a way to serve others and strengthen their community one note at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Students at Kenneth E. Adum K-8 Magnet School are using music to make a difference through a unique&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-262363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}