This Black-led California orchestra addresses mental health with sounds for the soul

Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. After nearly two decades of teaching exclusively Western classical composers, Stockton strings instructor Darcy Ford set out to celebrate her own heritage. As a Black artist, Ford knew the long history of African American music was as important as it was undertold. But three years ago, just as her dream of starting a Black-led orchestra was coming together, a devastating personal loss made her reassess its mission. What has emerged is Stockton Soul, a group intent on spreading the history of Black music while uplifting Black communities across the Valley with a positive mental health message. Like many musicians, Ford started playing music at school. In the third grade, she picked up the violin and never looked back. She went on to study music at the University of the Pacific. For the past 20 years, she has taught strings and spent the last decade working for the Lincoln Unified School District. Yet, as a mixed-race musician — her parents were...