Noteworthy: Rhythm Changes, Let There Be Rock School students host fundraiser for Haiti

Liza Hill remembers the trip to Haiti that rekindled her love for creating music. It was 2019, and she’d quit music after her friend’s death. But when an opportunity came along to share her knowledge with others in Haiti, Hill made the journey. Hill, a singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist who just graduated from Catoctin High School, has been attending Let There Be Rock School of Frederick for five years. The school is a “combination music lesson facility and after-school rock and roll community center” located in Frederick, according to its website. On Sunday, the school teamed up with local nonprofit Rhythm Changes to put on a concert fundraiser for Haiti at Sky Stage in Frederick. Taking a breath between songs, Hill shared a memory with the crowd about her trip to Haiti. While helping Haitian youth learn to play keyboard, Hill met a man who loved music. He was blind. “This man could not see a single key,” Hill said, but he’d memorized the location of those keys on the instrument. He dove into a flurry of notes, shocking the visitor from America. That experience and memories yet to be made in Haiti propelled young artists like Hill to perform Sunday. Let There Be Rock School teacher Brandon Dull started Rhythm Changes about four years ago after he traveled to Haiti to teach music. Rhythm Changes has a partnership with four schools in Haiti, where Dull said they send instruments, music equipment, food, water and whatever else they need. Their ultimate goal is to build and maintain a music school in Haiti, according to rhythmchanges.org. “Music’s the base note and then we go from there,” co-founder Allison Dull said. Approximately 30 percent of children go to school in Haiti, Brandon Dull said, and the number that graduate is even smaller. Rhythm Changes tackles those statistics head-on by offering lessons, resources and support. “We believe that we can definitely help change the world with education,” Brandon Dull said. While the weekend concert helped raise funds to send instruments to Haiti, it also served as a learning experience. When Allison Dull wasn’t emceeing on the mic, she handed it to Hill to practice her hosting skills. While some students rocked out on the stage, other pupils monitored the sound board. Rhythm Changes has been hosting virtual meetings with students to offer a cultural and musical exchange while the pandemic keeps them physically apart, according to Brandon Dull. They’ve even had musicians record lessons, and they sent a projector to Haiti so students can watch the lessons over and over again, Allison Dull added. Brandon Dull and Hill spoke to the drive Haitian students have to learn music and further their education in general. Dull recalled one student who traveled eight hours by boat, taxi and bus to attend one of his lessons. Hill remarked how connected she felt to others, even when she didn’t speak the language. It taught her to be grateful for how much she has. “The kids, they just want to learn,” Hill said. “Music is something that can bring people together.” Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller