Alarmed by a tragic(悲剧的) shooting in his hometown, a New Orleans musician gives hope to kids-for a song.

Allen was sleeping at home one evening last July when he was frightened awake by a TV news item. There had been a shooting among a group of children in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, only a few miles from Alen's home, and a nine-yearold boy named Bryant had been killed. Allen was horrified and heartbroken. He thought of his own nine-year-old son.

After seeing the tragic news that morning, it didn't take long for Allen to hit on a possible solution.He is one of the most famous jazz trumpeters(小号手) in the city, and he had a few spare trumpets lying around. Maybe he could offer them to kids in exchange for their guns.

“What saved me and redirected my path was a trumpet and the music of the city that it connected me with" Allen says. "t showed me that success can be managed through self-expression.”

Allen named the program My Trumpet Is My Weapon.“Just to see that they actually want to give up their guns, that's the cool part about it," says Allen, who has collected seven guns so far, a small but important start.

But he doesnt stop with the exchange of gun for instrument(乐器).After the exchanges, Allen connects the children with local musicians who give them free virtual (虚拟的) trumpet lessons. He also started a GoundMe page to buy more instruments to give away. So far, he has collected over $45,000. More importantly, he has brought hope to his city and young people looking for a better life.

“Music may not be the way for you, but it will at least open your mind to see what's out there," says Allen.

For musicians and their fans alike, it’s hard to beat the excitement of a live concert. For fans gathering with others and seeing their favorite musicians face to face is an excitement. For musicians, concerts allow them to connect with their listeners and increase their income.

So what happens when live concerts are no longer possible? In early 2020, governments prohibited large gatherings because of the coronavirus (冠状病毒). Tours and concerts were canceled leaving musicians and fans disappointed.

But musicians are creative, and technology can bring people together in ways that were impossible just 10 years ago. And so one performer after another began to offer online concerts.

These online concerts tended to be simple. Since people were required to stay at home, musicians filmed themselves playing in their houses. They livestreamed (3 Bn f) their songs, so it didn’t need to edit video or mix sound in a studio. Sometimes, artists would spend time talking between songs. Audiences loved these online events.

Virtual concerts help musicians connect with their fans during a difficult time. Besides, they are a great way to bring people together, Although some online concerts required payment, most were free. And this raises questions about whether they will continue once large gatherings are allowed again.

It was easy for artists to offer free music online when no one could leave their homes. But for the long term, the practice could stop them from selling recordings or tickets to live shows. Some fans will buy tickets for online concerts. But no one knows if they’ll be willing to pay as much as they would for a live concert.

On the other hand, free online concerts are a good way to attract new fans. And they can inspire fans to buy music. Free concerts may be a good business decision after all.

Carleen Hutchins finished building her first stringed instrument (弦乐器) in 1949, when she was 38. She is remembered as an excellent luthier. A luthier is a person who makes stringed instruments, such as violins and guitars.

Hutchins was a primary school science teacher. She took up the viola (中提琴) at 36. But she wasn’t satisfied with the viola she bought. Since she was a skilled woodworker, she decided to build one herself.

For more than 50 years, she carved (雕刻) stringed instruments. Hutchins worked from her home — often in her kitchen. She used a scientific method to carve them. Over the years, she made around 500 instruments. Her method is still used. It helps luthiers carve high-quality stringed instruments.

Hutchins also created a family of eight violins known as the violin octet. They change in size and tone (音调). “It’s how the instrument is carved that makes it a violin,” Joe McNalley says. He is the founder of the Hutchins Consort, a group that plays the octet.

The four instruments in the string family are violin, viola, cello, and bass. They cannot play the lowest or highest notes of the piano. They play the notes in between. Hutchins created a family of eight violins that play all the notes a piano plays.

D. Quincy Whitney has written a book about Hutchins. “For centuries, musicians had talked about creating a family of violins that had a total string sound as wide as a piano,” she said.

Hutchins was an artist and a scientist. A big part of her dream was to create top-quality instruments that were affordable. “Her story is about how one person can not only make a difference,” says Whitney, “but can change a whole world.”