Violinist Rachel Barton Pine Teaches Englewood Students About Music, Adversity
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A world-famous musician, who beat adversity to achieve success, brought her story to Chicago's Englewood neighborhood Wednesday night.
Her instrument? The violin. Her focus? The young students using it to overcome the violence around them.
Rachel Barton Pine was surrounded by young, Chicago musicians at Sherwood Park Fieldhouse in Englewood. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports it is her way of giving back and sharing the art form she's been passionate about since age three.
"It's so heartwarming to see kids from some of the Chicago neighborhoods that you always hear negative things that are doing something really positive," said Barton Pine.
Pine's old friend Robert Fisher is now the violin teacher at Sherwood Park, asked her to meet with his students.
"I want them to see someone like them that grew up in a very humble environment and did something very positive with her life," said Fisher.
Barton Pine grew up on the North Side and says her family struggled financially. Then, in 1995, she lost a leg after her violin case strap got caught in a Metra train's door and dragged her.
"I don't think of that as much of a transformative event as people might imagine," said Barton Pine. "What I went through as a child is what formed my character."
Alexis Bishop began playing the violin to help ease her Tourette's outbursts. It worked.
"I'm gonna be like her and keep playing
Sherwood Park now has the only violin classes in within the park district. The program was started more than 30 years ago by Barry Elmore - who was also there Wednesday.