Reggie Patterson

I started on violin in kindergarten in Milwaukee and moved out here. I stopped for two years, because there were not music programs in the public schools. Then we transferred to Berkeley Malcolm X, and I started up again with violin. Switched to viola in eighth grade because the teacher couldn't stand intonation with big hands, and plus I liked viola.

Ellen Mendelson started me on the violin and pushed me to try the Young Musicians Program, and I've been a member of that for seven years. I attended the summer program and also Crowden School for a few years.

I don't know definitely if it's going to be my career. I'm interested in languages and linguistics. Language and music are interconnected. Everyone thinks of music as an art form, but language is an art form, too.

If you're getting serious about music, I know there's some people that take lessons, but don't get the feel of it until they join an orchestra or some other group and interact with people musically.

This is my first year with the Youth Orchestra. Last year I was in the Oakland Youth Orchestra. I love the music we are playing.

My mother and father are not musicians. Because I started in public schools, it opened a door t hat might not have been opened. They're very supportive. It's amazing how many miles they drive me to orchestras and school and everywhere else. I go to school in Marin because of the music. I travel a lot. Practice takes up all my time.

When I was enrolled in Malcolm X, the program went from four to six. They tried to get music out of the schools. As a group, we went to Berkeley City Hall and played when they were coming out of the meeting. We succeeded. I didn't know what I was getting into. Teachers just said if you want to keep playing violin, come and protest. I think anybody in the schools should be able to start on an instrument and decide if they want to pursue it or not. But if they don't get classes, they'll never know what they're missing.

I toured with the Oakland Youth Orchestra. We went to Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. We had homestay, so we got to be in the culture. It was great.

I was part of the Young Musicians Program in Berkeley. They take kids outside of the school district. You have to audition. They provide scholarship music lessons from professional musicians. It's an intensive summer 6-7 week music program, you study theory and everything.