This winter, Local 802 members Kyle Hoyt, Joshua Zarbo, Sita Chay, Kyra Sims and David White participated in a day of service on MLK Day, where they got the chance to mentor aspiring young high school musicians. Here’s what they had to say…

SITA CHAY: “It was a meaningful experience for me and I was so thrilled to see fellow members of Local 802! I got to connect with young, curious, passionate minds who remind me how precious raw dreams are, and how pure aspiration plays an imperative role throughout the career.”

KYLE HOYT: “I always love to serve on MLK Day to try and honor Dr. King’s legacy of serving our fellow citizens. Coupling helping the younger generation of musicians and this day was a rare opportunity for service that I could not pass up.”

KYRA SIMS: “I decided to mentor because I wish that I had had more musicians in my life growing up who looked like me. My mom is a doctor, so in some ways I always knew I could grow up to do anything I wanted, but it did take me a long time to really take myself seriously as a hornist. If someone who looked like me had come to my school playing the French horn and took the time to mentor me – wow, who knows how much faster I would have developed as a musician! I’m very fortunate to be where I am now, and am so happy to pass along the knowledge I’ve gained on the journey.”

DAVID WHITE: “I know how incredibly important people taking time to offer guidance and advice to me as a young musician was. So I jump at any chance I have to pay that forward. It’s encouraging to see so many kids engaged and asking such intelligent and insightful questions. The future is in good hands.”

JOSHUA ZARBO: “In the spirit of MLK, mentoring is an opportunity to hear from a younger generation, listen to them express their dreams, and provide encouragement and guidance to help them make their dreams a reality.”