Music is a powerful tool for social change and personal growth, and knowing that Note 4 Notes has helped students discover musical talents and share their passions with others is a good feeling.

Matheus Koo

By Megan Guerrero & Abigail Kim

It was classical music that initially brought together juniors Matheus Koo, Edward Moon, Daniel Kim, and Ethan Chung when they first met in their middle school orchestra class. Their interest in music allowed for the blossoming of a strong friendship, eventually leading to the conception of a much grander vision of the future: one that could bring the joy of music to those who aren’t as fortunate enough to learn about it and to spread happiness within their community through their own music.

With this vision in mind, the four decided to found their own non-profit called Note 4 Notes. They acknowledge the disparity present in access to classical music education and hope to utilize their nonprofit to combat it by making it more accessible. All of the founders were privileged enough to learn music at their middle school orchestra and through private programs. But this isn’t the case for many individuals in impoverished communities

“Most of us in the group were fortunate to learn music at our middle school music programs that provided us the opportunity to play music and frankly, build lifelong friendships,” Koo said. “But knowing that this wasn’t the case for many individuals in impoverished communities that don’t have music programs in their local schools, we wanted to do something. Therefore, we decided to create our mission statement to help all have access to music education and programs.”

Since then, Note 4 Notes has flourished into a ten-member organization. After a little over three years, Note 4 Notes has rapidly grown from a small quartet reminiscent of a backyard band to hosting countless performances at senior citizen homes like Thousand Oaks nursing home and as well as hospitals like Kaiser Permanente, providing free music services/lessons to children, and making significant volunteer contributions within the valley.

They’ve worked with a total of 40 student musicians across the valley, teaching them more about musical technique, and helping them to expand their knowledge and appreciation of music.
They’ve also received the presidential award for volunteer service as their performances have enabled them to acquire a substantial amount of volunteer hours.

Although they have already achieved a great number of accomplishments, Note 4 Notes still strives to keep growing their nonprofit to continue touching the lives of others through music. In recognition of their hard work, they have been rewarded with grants from LA City District 12’s Councilman John Lee, which they hope to use to expand their program.

“Our goal is to get new members and have more places to perform,” Kim said. “We received funds from [Councilman] John Lee and we use those funds to buy more [sheet] music because it is pretty expensive.”

The founders recognize these achievements could not have been possible without outside support. The organization sprouted with the assistance of their mentor Steve Park. Originally the long-time clarinet teacher of Koo and Chung, when the boys told him about their plan to create Note 4 Notes he recruited new musicians to join their orchestra. Today, he serves as the program’s teacher and mentor.

The chamber ensemble practices biweekly together for around several hours to hone their craft to better impact its audiences. Being a part of something larger than themselves has been a valuable experience for the four founders. Note 4 Notes has not only provided them the opportunity to grow the leadership skills they need to excel in the future and a chance to make a difference in their community but also showed them just how important and powerful music truly is.

“I just felt it was a really good opportunity to contribute to the community and to get to connect with music a little bit further,” Moon said. “I have engaged and enjoyed music for ten years now, and I knew this would be a good way to give back and personally reflect on myself. It also gave me the experience of leadership, something that before forming the group, I had very little experience with. The command I have as someone in the group has really taught me personally valuable traits as a leader.”

Altogether, Note 4 Notes has been an inspiring success story that has been able to bring joy to the lives of many, especially the four. Note 4 Notes has shown just how powerful music truly is when placed within a community setting, stimulating awe-inspiring change.

“My favorite part of being in this program is knowing that we have the opportunity to help students learn, play, and share music with others,” Koo said.