ORANGE : Homeless Children Spend Notable Day

Willy Martinez usually listens to the driving lyrics and beats of rap music, but at a musical show Tuesday he was introduced to the breezier sounds of the Beach Boys. And he loved it.

He also got his first taste of Italian opera, gospel music and folk songs. The 5-year-old boy, who adores the rap group Kriss Kross, was overwhelmed by the new sounds but said he liked every bit of the experience.

“It was fun,” Willy said after being treated to a 45-minute musical show by a quartet from the Master Chorale of Orange County.

Willy and 20 other children gathered at the YWCA in Orange for the show, organized by the Homeless Outreach Program for Education, also called Project HOPE, a federally funded program for homeless children in Orange County.

“We wanted to present music that they may not have heard before,” said Sandy McCune, the chorale’s community coordinator. “We want the kids to know music is fun, and it’s something that people can do together.”

Ann Robinson, who heads the three-member Project HOPE staff, said the children do not attend regular schools. Ranging in age from 5 to 13, they come from families around the county who live in shelters, motels and even cars and vans.

Project HOPE is run by the county Department of Education. The Orange YWCA provides bus transportation, breakfast and lunch for the children, and the First Presbyterian Church on Grand Avenue provides the classrooms, where the students get 2 1/2 hours of instruction each day.

“They don’t miss school very often,” Robinson said. “The breakfast and lunch are a big help to the parents, and the children receive a lot of attention here. They respond very well.”

The show Tuesday was intended to introduce students to a variety of musical forms, Robinson said, and encourage them to take up music.

“It was great,” said 9-year-old Debbi Lervold. “We got to sing, listen to the music and dance. And we also got to play.”

Jordan Murrer, 6, loved a medley of Disney songs so much that he danced for the first time.

“It was touching,” said Gary Busby, one of the singers. “This may be the brightest spot of their week.”

Busby, who has been with the singing group five years, said they encourage the children to participate by singing along or dancing with the performers. The children tend to be timid at first, but it doesn’t take long before they’re participating, he said.

McCune said her group performs at elementary and junior high schools around the county, usually before large audiences. Performing before a small group of homeless children was special, she said.

“It was a little more intimate,” she said. “We were able to give a little more individual attention.”