New Haven Student Musicians Perform For Belugas At Mystic Aquarium

MYSTIC, CT —Music Haven students performed for beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium this weekend.

Mystic Aquarium invited Music Haven students to the Aquarium to play for the belugas and experience a special visit. Most of these students come from low-income families in New Haven, and travel costs and lack of transportation options can prevent the kids from visiting Mystic Aquarium.

“Most of our Music Haven kids have never been to Mystic Aquarium, or any aquarium,” Music Haven Executive Director Mandi Jackson said. “We have 97 kids in our program taking lessons in violin, viola, and cello. They are very excited about this experience and we are extremely grateful to Mystic Aquarium for making this happen.”

Music acts a form of visual and audio enrichment for belugas, and youth musicians from Music Haven performed brilliantly! Mystic Aquarium funded the entire trip, including coach bus transportation, lunch, VIP Aquarium Tour, and the kids also got the opportunity to get up close and personal – meeting a penguin and sea lion.

“This is an amazing opportunity,” added Music Haven Violin Teacher Patrick Doane. “Since Covid changed our lives, we really haven’t been getting out much. This was amazing and we thank Mystic Aquarium for this opportunity.”

Music Haven is a nonprofit that empowers and connects young people through exceptional tuition-free music education, mentoring, and performance by its resident musicians in the heart of New Haven, giving all kids a chance to play. Mystic Aquarium is proud to fund this special visit and give these kids an experience they’ll remember all their lives.

About Music Haven

At Music Haven, young musicians study with and are mentored by members of our resident ensemble, the Haven String Quartet, or one of our other full-time conservatory-trained professional Resident Musicians, from when they are in first, second, or third grade until they graduate from high school.

Students come by school bus each afternoon from more than 20 different schools throughout the city to our 6,700 sf programming space. They have access to practice and rehearsal rooms, classrooms for music theory, improvisation, and music history classes, a homework/study lounge, a performance space, and teaching studios in which they are each taught and mentored—one-on-one—by a member of our resident professional string quartet, the Haven String Quartet. They study with and are mentored by the same resident musician over many years, from when they first come to us in 1st or 2nd grade through high school graduation. The deep, long-term relationships we develop with our students and their families make it possible for us to make a lot more than music.