ILS and Guitars Over Guns Make Christmas Wishes Come True

Guitars refurbished by ILS students are ready for pick up.

Mr. J.C. Moya

Guitars refurbished by ILS students are ready for pick up.

Special Contributor, Special Contributor

Juniors Isabella Puglisi, Victoria Pla, Sefano Guigovaz, Patricia Quimby-Moro, Guitars Over Guns associate Mr. Caleb Alcime, Mr. Armando Alicandu, and Mr. J.C. Moya collaborated to provide public school students with instruments.
Sebastian Dutkowski and Stefano Giugovaz stand by their work in progress.

What happens when passion meets compassion?

Two teachers at Immaculata-La Salle High School noticed some students in the school’s music and band program needed opportunities for service. Inspired in part by Don Bosco’s belief that, “an Oratory without music is like a body without a soul,” they decided to act.

Band Director, Mr. Armando Alicandu, and Mr. JC Moya, Director of the Applied Global Leadership Program, invited guitar-playing students to make a difference in the lives of middle school kids throughout Miami.

The plan was simple: repair and refurbish used guitars, and then donate them to kids living in under-resourced areas. The goal was to provide kids with quality instruments, with which they could pursue a musical future.

Junior class members with a passion for guitar and music, Sebastian Dutkowski, Stefano Giugovaz, and Emmanuel Roca, worked throughout several Saturday mornings from October to December, to make sure that the guitars were ready by Christmas.

Mr. Moya, who has experience in guitar making, taught students the skills they needed to bring the guitars back to life.

“I found out that one of the schools that Guitars Over Guns works with is Citrus Grove Middle School. That was my school! When I discovered that, I felt a special kind of gratification. I received my first musical education at Citrus Grove and knowing that the kids at my old school would also be able to learn to play guitar on good instruments made me feel extraordinarily happy.

— Mr. J.C. Moya

Mr. Alicandu, a regular performer in various orchestras, provided valuable mentoring, academic, and professional advice.

“This project was a true meeting of different interests. Working with the guitars allowed me to gain a better understanding of the way these instruments work. Spending time with the students showed me why they love this instrument. Hearing them play gave me hope for the future of music. Every time we met, my mind and ears were filled with inspiration. Donating the guitars showed students that the work they do has a direct impact on their community and that opportunities to serve are everywhere. The discussions and wisdom shared while standing around a half complete guitar, will stay with me and I certainly look forward to contributing to the community through this project again,” said Mr. Alicandu.

Though Guitars Over Guns started in Miami, it has grown into an organization that offers no-cost music instruction, mentorship, academic support, and mental health programming to young people across the country. It uses research-based methodology to partner with local schools and peer organizations to impact the lives of hundreds of young persons.

On December 22nd, assisted by juniors Patricia Quimby-Moro and Victoria Pla, a representative from Guitars Over Guns arrived at ILS to collect the guitars. The three classical, and three acoustic guitars, made it into the hands of six lucky youth, whose Christmas wish of owning a quality musical instrument came true.

“Guitars Over Guns was a really exciting project. Over a few weekends we worked on cleaning up guitars, leveling and polishing frets and restringing them, for the kids. We had a very good time working on the guitars and it was a great experience. I learned how to repair frets and lower the action on acoustics. I see myself performing more service in the future. I am passionate about guitar and this service project was a way of showing compassion. For now, the plan is to continue to collaborate with Guitars Over Guns,” said Sebastian Dutkowski.

In the same way that Don Bosco advised listening to the “music of the young with the heart and not the ears,” so should the call to service be heard in the heart.

How do young people develop a service mindset and commit to a lifetime of giving? The answer is simple: Let their passion guide their compassion.