Vince Hendren

The Music Connection

The Music Connection (TMC), in collaboration with the Berkeley and Oakland Unified School District, aims to provide free, supplemental music tutoring for young musicians in both individual and group settings. By doing so, TMC will provide young students with a strong foundation in music, which will help them develop teamwork and self-confidence. We are an organization that currently has about 75 tutors and continues to grow through our success within UC Berkeley and the surrounding communities. We provide free music lessons to students in the Berkeley community in many different forms. Our tutors are UC Berkeley students from a variety of academic backgrounds, but all with extensive musical experience. TMC is a way for students at Berkeley to become involved in the surrounding community through connecting with their students and sharing the expressive and creative gift that is music. Tutors are given the opportunity to connect with the community, practice music, and hone valuable teaching skills. Our programs include In-Class Tutoring, After School Tutoring, and Private Piano/Vocal Tutoring. We emphasize tutoring qualifying or low-income students who may not have ready access to music lessons. In addition to our three main tutoring programs, we also host free events for the local Berkeley community. Our three main events outside of our end-of-semester TMC Recital are College Music Days, Spring Music Festival, and Instrument Petting Zoo. For our College Music Days, we invite BUSD/OUSD students to visit a rehearsal of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra or UC Berkeley Wind Ensemble and play along. Every April, we host a Spring Music Festival, during which students can perform a piece for UC Berkeley Music Department faculty and receive feedback. On Cal Day, we lead an Instrument Petting Zoo, during which children may try out different instruments.