"It is very expensive to pursue any sort of art. In visual arts you have expensive supplies you’re buying - it’s all about the materials you have to have. If you're a dancer or a musician, it’s all of the training, voice lessons, coaching, and clothes for performances. It’s so nice that St. Louis is working to lift that burden ... So many of those kids were talking about how it’s kept them out of trouble because it’s something to do and they’re getting validation that they may not be getting at home or through their friends. It's amazing to see how they’ve thrived. They’ll go on to get scholarships in music or dance or whatever they’re passionate about, which is life-changing. It opens up opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise."



DeWayne Trainer: tenor with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, project leader at Edward Jones