By Steven S. Klotz, Embrace Music Foundation

Big Brother Big Sister of Miami’s annual fundraising gala attracts over 700 guests committed to improving the lives of at-risk youth in their community.  Going in, guests know the heartbreaking stories, the odds of survival, the yeoman efforts needed.  But what they don’t know is that this evening’s entertainment at the American Airlines Arena features 30 of these same kids performing on stage as a polished percussion ensemble, led by “Reggae Ambassador” Willie Stewart of Third World renown, in a 20-minute set accompanied by half a dozen professional musicians.

Verdict:  They killed it.  Sensational.

Thanks to a Knight Foundation grant to Embrace Music Foundation, these teens had trained for weeks, learning not only to master sophisticated rhythms and percussion instruments, but how these rhythms and instruments came to be, their journey from Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas, and their application in contemporary composition and performance.  In January, their 80 minute performance of Rhythms of Africa/Music Around the World dazzled the capacity crowd at Adrienne Arsht  Performing Arts Center, drawing raves and a curtain call, transporting a resonating audience on a journey of its own.

“These are our kids,” BBBS Senior Vice President Gale S. Nelson told the delighted guests when applause finally died down.  “This is what they can do, when we — and you — do what all of us can do.  For which we thank you, Willie Stewart, and Embrace Music Foundation.” And thanks, of course, to Knight Foundation for making it all a reality.