Cyndi Loza

Musician Larry Washington and friends performed for students at Traner Middle School and Hug High School on Thursday to provide students a taste of the music business, give advice and further their appreciation of music.

“It’s just an important part of my life, to give back,” said drummer Washington, 52, of Corona, Calif., who performed at both schools at no cost. “The kids are the future, and we all have to do our part to jump in.”

Washington, who also is a composer, performs at clinics, concerts and tours throughout the year. He has played as a sideline musician in films such as “Mobsters,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “Sister Act 2” and “Princess Diaries.”

“It’s not really all about the big paycheck,” said Washington’s manager, Peggy Paarmann, “it’s what you contribute to the community.”

Paarmann said Washington was particularly interested in Hug and Traner because of the number of at-risk students that attend the schools.

“These schools are faced with some of the strongest challenges in terms of needs (and) attention,” Paarmann said. “There’s a wide disparity from school to school in Reno.”

Traner art teacher Cynthia Ford agreed and helped coordinate the event.

“There’s so much these kids aren’t exposed to,” Ford said. “I thought, ‘Anything I can do to help bring a positive change to Traner and Hug and expose them to the talents that are out there today.’”