Tuesday, February 22, 2005
The Defeat of Refugio Limon, or Refugio Limon Blew It
Jitty, one of my favourite writers, sent me a blurb from an article she wrote a couple of years ago, but is still moving today. It's about a boy named Refugio Limon and how his beloved $300 Yamaha clarinet was stolen from him. For two months, he went to music class without a clarinet, but he finally got new one after applying for a grant. Jitty lamented that the most exciting quote she could get from Refugio on his reaction to the theft was a bland "Nothing. I just sat there." I said that I thought it was actually a fantastic quote, it really brought out how defeated Refugio must have felt about the situation, how hapless it all was. I said that I thought the title of the article should've been "The Defeat of Refugio Limon," or "Refugio Limon Blew It."
When Refugio's madre found out that the Orange County Register was going to write a story about him with a picture, she slicked down his hair and dressed him in a clean white shirt. Jitty took the picture and she had this to say about it:
Jitty: check out the mexican wedding photo at the back
Jitty: my photo has good framing, good lighting, and good mise-en-scene
Here is the picture for you to see. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/desireekoh13/detail?.dir=9dc9&.dnm=dd79.jpg&.src=ph
And following, is the full text of the article. Viva Refugio Limon!
Fund Keeps Kids' Songs Playing
Orange County Register -- November 6, 2003
By Jit Fong Chin
Refugio Limon put his clarinet near his door one morning last year, but forgot to bring it to school.
When the 12-year-old returned, he found that his beloved $300 Yamaha clarinet had been stolen. For two months, Limon attended band class at Yorba Middle School without an instrument. No playing. No other instruments to borrow. Not much learning.
"Nothing. I just sat there,'' said Limon, the youngest of five children. His father works in construction and his mother is a baby sitter.
His teacher noticed and recommended him to apply to the Dana Sharp Memorial Music Fund. Limon started this September renting a black-and-silver clarinet for $25 a year. And now, the sounds of him practicing songs like John Edmonson's "Silvergate Overture'' fill his modest family home on Locust Avenue again.
For 28 years, the Dana Sharp Memorial Music Fund has provided musical instruments to more than 3,000 underprivileged students in the Orange, Tustin and Santa Ana unified school districts. Students recommended by their teachers pay $25 to rent an instrument for a year. By comparison, store rentals cost $25 to $35 a month.
On Friday, the Dana Sharp Memorial Music Fund received a $7,000 award, its largest ever, as part of the 46th annual Disneyland Resort Community Service Awards. The music fund was born to honor Dana Sharp, a 14-year-old at Santiago Middle School student who was killed in a horse riding accident in 1976.
"Dana was a dwarf. She was first in her class, first violinist, first in her Scout troop. She was an overachiever, and just this wonderful child,'' said her mother Bonnie Sharp.
Many people looked to Dana for inspiration, her mother said. When she died, her former teacher from Panorama Elementary brought a cello that had been in a family and gave it to the Sharps as a gift. Bonnie Sharp had two sons who also played instruments. She began asking local school districts about the need to provide affordable musical instruments. With the help of fellow members of the American Association of University Women in Orange, the music fund was born.
Today, the music fund administered by AAUW has collected 312 instruments, including violins, cellos, clarinets, trumpets, trombones and alto saxophones, mainly through donations. Jim Winn of Winn's Music Store and Studio helps to maintain and repair the instruments at a very low cost. The $7,000 Disneyland award could buy another 30 to 40 instruments.
The music fund is a "great tribute'' to Dana Sharp's life, her mother said.
"I see the difference it makes to children's lives. I can see what it does to them -- the discipline, the love of arts. It makes me feel very humble to know that we are affecting kids' lives.''
When Refugio's madre found out that the Orange County Register was going to write a story about him with a picture, she slicked down his hair and dressed him in a clean white shirt. Jitty took the picture and she had this to say about it:
Jitty: check out the mexican wedding photo at the back
Jitty: my photo has good framing, good lighting, and good mise-en-scene
Here is the picture for you to see. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/desireekoh13/detail?.dir=9dc9&.dnm=dd79.jpg&.src=ph
And following, is the full text of the article. Viva Refugio Limon!
Fund Keeps Kids' Songs Playing
Orange County Register -- November 6, 2003
By Jit Fong Chin
Refugio Limon put his clarinet near his door one morning last year, but forgot to bring it to school.
When the 12-year-old returned, he found that his beloved $300 Yamaha clarinet had been stolen. For two months, Limon attended band class at Yorba Middle School without an instrument. No playing. No other instruments to borrow. Not much learning.
"Nothing. I just sat there,'' said Limon, the youngest of five children. His father works in construction and his mother is a baby sitter.
His teacher noticed and recommended him to apply to the Dana Sharp Memorial Music Fund. Limon started this September renting a black-and-silver clarinet for $25 a year. And now, the sounds of him practicing songs like John Edmonson's "Silvergate Overture'' fill his modest family home on Locust Avenue again.
For 28 years, the Dana Sharp Memorial Music Fund has provided musical instruments to more than 3,000 underprivileged students in the Orange, Tustin and Santa Ana unified school districts. Students recommended by their teachers pay $25 to rent an instrument for a year. By comparison, store rentals cost $25 to $35 a month.
On Friday, the Dana Sharp Memorial Music Fund received a $7,000 award, its largest ever, as part of the 46th annual Disneyland Resort Community Service Awards. The music fund was born to honor Dana Sharp, a 14-year-old at Santiago Middle School student who was killed in a horse riding accident in 1976.
"Dana was a dwarf. She was first in her class, first violinist, first in her Scout troop. She was an overachiever, and just this wonderful child,'' said her mother Bonnie Sharp.
Many people looked to Dana for inspiration, her mother said. When she died, her former teacher from Panorama Elementary brought a cello that had been in a family and gave it to the Sharps as a gift. Bonnie Sharp had two sons who also played instruments. She began asking local school districts about the need to provide affordable musical instruments. With the help of fellow members of the American Association of University Women in Orange, the music fund was born.
Today, the music fund administered by AAUW has collected 312 instruments, including violins, cellos, clarinets, trumpets, trombones and alto saxophones, mainly through donations. Jim Winn of Winn's Music Store and Studio helps to maintain and repair the instruments at a very low cost. The $7,000 Disneyland award could buy another 30 to 40 instruments.
The music fund is a "great tribute'' to Dana Sharp's life, her mother said.
"I see the difference it makes to children's lives. I can see what it does to them -- the discipline, the love of arts. It makes me feel very humble to know that we are affecting kids' lives.''
// posted by Desiree @ 6:04 PM 
Comments:
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hey this is refugio limon i was wondering if u could e-mail me the pictures of me playing the clarinet
my e-mail is the_oc_greaser@yahoo.com
-thankyou
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my e-mail is the_oc_greaser@yahoo.com
-thankyou
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