I was in 8th grade, she was in 7th. She was cute, popular and above all else.....nice! She was Argentine, but knew English perfectly.... Didn't know it at first, but spent many years in the U.S. (Secretly she still feels a bit "Americana"......)
She liked being called "Jose" (pronounced Hozy) That made it fun, and shorter!
I can't say we were deep friends by any means. She was great fun to dance with and mostly I observed.....
Here is what I saw back then:
- She was high energy, full of life,
- Passionate about things, sometimes loud (Argentine...!)
- But always fun and always positive.
- She was friendly, all about family,
- Unbeknownst to most, kept things close to her heart.
- She was thoughtful, sometimes insecure, but no one would have known that in a million years... she had us all fooled!
- She was an athlete, and a cheerleader. I would say most wanted to know her.... ok, more guys than girls maybe! : )
As little girls do....this girl Maria (Jose) grew up too.... She studied, lived, experienced ups and downs and then found the love of her life--her husband. They settled in Cordoba and had 4 kids. Amazing kids! She stayed fiercely close to her family. She was inseparable with her sisters then, and still now to this day!
Fast forward to 2012... July I think... maybe June... I get a call out of the blue from Jose... She says she is in SLC..... "No way!" In all the gin joints in all the world how does she end up here?? Nonetheless my heart leaps for joy that she called....She is in town for a week long Suzuki violin festival. Her daughter plays the violin and she has brought about 20 other kids with teachers and their parents to this event.
We meet, reconnect, it is beautiful! Memories flood back from days of Brazil... my other home....home of so many special experiences and feelings. She is all that she was before, but much more..... We talk of kids, marriage, growing up and where our friends have scattered themselves all over the world.
She gives me a peek into this new world of music for her. She never played any instrument with any mastery but not only has she introduced classical music to her daughter, I can tell she is the ring leader of some local chapter or chamber music group that feels much like a "Start up"....Not a lot of money, but some passion and a lot of elbow grease to get something going. She didn't state it, but I could tell she was the one in charge. She leaves....
She comes back the next year too! So much fun. Other friends came a long with her Sister. We have a ball. I start to see more and more what she was up to... what started with a few friends and their kids has been ramping up.... I just had no idea to what extent. I have a pretty good feeling she didn't either! She knows in her heart someone is going to have to take on a leadership role with this grass roots movement that is now growing up with big boy pants!!
Upon her invitation I visit her and family in Cordoba (April 2015). I see first hand what the power of one idea can do in the hands of a remarkable person. If only I had a movie camera....
Being there in person is the only way to truly understand what Jose has done......I had to witness it with my own two eyes, this incredible miracle worker that is Maria Jose Patino. There are few that I have known that have dedicated themselves to a particular cause in such a way that leaves one breathless.... She is one.
What she has done single handedly with her family to bring the gift of music to the city of Cordoba is truly unbelievable. She has funded, orchestrated and managed to get people involved to start and maintain classical orchestra to schools. Hundreds of kids are now involved. It is amazing to watch some of these kids practice without an instrument in their hands... they raise an invisible violin and bow, and they follow the Maestro regardless... they practice the air... while they patiently wait for the kid next to them take their turn.....Oh, and this is on Saturday btw.....
I watched her completely open her home to dozens of kids and teachers several times a week to for music lessons, only to then hold late night meetings with volunteers in her kitchen to wrestle with administrative issues... I watched the Minister of Education visit a local school where MJ and a handful of volunteers pulled off an amazing orchestral performance that opened the door to much needed government visibility... I watched her give up her Saturdays to ensure that under privileged kids and teachers had a place to practice in little plain rented rooms in small neighborhoods, often rough ones--but that is where there is space. She was there engaged in talking with parents and volunteers providing the foundational support that this community needs so desperately. She took calls at any hour to help make decisions, to console, to empathize, to influence, to make whatever needed to happen, happen....I was there when she and her husband stopped at a local music shop late at night and paid for 3 more violins to add the hundreds already acquired...She does't think twice, she just 'acts'. When you ask her how she does it, she has no answer...she downplays it completely and takes almost no credit.
When the kids actually start playing, she glows, she is lost in the performance....the tears well up and in that moment she knows...that this is her heart's work. These kids, have nothing. Their parents have so little to offer them... Jose treats every single person with dignity and as a peer no matter what standing they have in the community.... most are so modest in means. She is transforming music in schools, she is bringing cultural dignity to her city and country.
To me, this isn't really about music... it is about hope, a doorway to freedom and transformation of lives.... these kids will open doors that never would have been available to them without Jose. She has set a true example of how to live an honorable life with no regret. And everyday she worries about the next, can she keep it up? Will there be enough left in the tank? Will she get the help she needs? How can she take it to the next level? What if she can't? Her humility carves the path for all things to work out in their own way....
I honor you MJ, and your family regardless of how many votes you get. I will never forget how I was marked by your work, and your heart.
Mr Holland did get to hear his Opus finally... Jose, you are hearing yours everyday.
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