DENVER - The kids at the Boys and Girls Club on Inca Street in Denver were not expecting what they saw this week. When their special guest walked in, wearing baggy pants, tennis shoes and a backwards baseball cap, they probably could have never predicted what he was going to do: Play some of the sweetest tunes the kids had ever heard on the violin.
"I've actually had real comments [from people who say] 'I had no idea!,'" 27-year-old Lee England, Jr. said.
England, a classically-trained violinist with three college degrees, knows the fact that he wears Jordan-brand sneakers and gear may throw some people for a loop. And that's just the way he likes it.
"It's a beautiful thing to be able to shatter stereotypes," he said. "Sometimes, I find myself dressing even more urban, just so people look and automatically think one then. And after I perform, it just breaks down."
To clarify, he wears the Michael Jordan gear because Michael Jordan is one of his sponsors. That's a big surprise to children like those at the Boys and Girls Club.
"To be sponsored by a brand that usually only supports athletes speaks volumes. Just be good at what you do. You never know when an opportunity might arise," England said, sharing the message that he often spreads among the kids he visits.
England, who will perform in the Vail Soul Music Festival in August, hopes to open kids' ears to classical music. He also hopes to open their minds to endless possibilities.
"(I hope) they're inspired to chase their dreams," he said.
England left the young people at the Boys and Girls Club cheering, after playing some of their favorite hip-hop tunes on the violin.
"I can pretty much play anything," he told the crowd, pushing the importance of studying and practicing one's craft.
He's already made an impression on one young mind. Twelve-year-old Diego Ortiz met England a year ago and has since picked up a violin himself.
"Things aren't always as they seem," Ortiz said, reflecting on his first impression of England. "[Kids[ can try new things and see the world from a different angle."
For more information on the Vail Soul Music Festival, click: www.vailsoulmusicfest.com.
Tune in during the 4 p.m. newscast on 9NEWS to see England playing at the Boys and Girls Club of Denver.
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