William Franklyn Leathers was “ecstatic” earlier this year when he received his acceptance letter to the Juilliard School in New York. It was, as the 17-year-old puts it, “a dream come true.”

But then he was very worried. Turns out studying at one of the most prestigious music and dance schools in the world isn’t cheap.

The Toronto teen says he is one of only three students admitted into the school’s trumpet program this year, which starts in the summer. Tuition for a year clocks in at about $91,000 in Canadian – totalling $364,000 for a four-year undergraduate program.

So, with some help from family friends, Leathers turned to crowdfunding; hoping to cover the cost of one year and figure out the rest afterwards. By Thursday, his campaign page had collected nearing $80,000.

“This kind of generosity has been incredible for myself and my family. We’re really shocked at the number of people that are giving and it’s clear they want to see me succeed,” he said.

Leathers started off as a pianist but later picked up the trumpet, having grown up listening to his father Howard practice and longing to make the same sound. His parents obliged and got him a trumpet as a Christmas gift when he was seven.

“I just wanted to know all the techniques of the horn,” he said, remembering how exciting it was for him to practice with various trumpet teachers throughout the years.

He has never looked back.

At age 12, Leathers became the youngest trumpet player accepted into the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the orchestra confirmed. He also made the Halton Mississauga Youth Orchestra.

His dream is to become “some kind of soloist,” a classical trumpet player like his idols in the field: Wynton Marsalis, James Thompson and Christopher Martin, the teacher he’s been assigned at Juilliard.

“But my dad is still the best, because he was the first to impress me,” said Leathers.

For him, going to Juilliard and succeeding in his career has now become like a responsibility — not just because of the community support he’s receiving, but also the understanding that there are many kids who can’t afford tuition at their dream schools.

“There are so many people behind me now, there are a lot of kids in high school who look up to me as a player,” he said. “Having success as a Black man is important to me, and I have to pay it forward.”

He has decided to keep the fundraising efforts open, and will use 10 per cent of the final amount, plus every dollar he raises in excess of his tuition costs, to create a scholarship foundation to support other young artists.

His mother Donna is not surprised with the decision. She tells a story of how, as a four-year-old, Leathers wanted to take yogourt from the family fridge and send it to hungry kids from a charity commercial he’d seen on TV. He later urged people to give him money instead of presents, so he could send it to organizations helping disadvantaged people.

“That’s who he has been his entire life,” she said. “I’m so proud of him.”

Carving out a career playing the trumpet is not an easy task, said Steven Woomert, one of only four trumpet players in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In comparison, he said there are about 30 violinists at the orchestra.

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“It’s very hard to get to a certain level of performance, and the competition is very fierce, said Woomert, who studied trumpet at Northwestern University in Chicago.

“But I know William, and he has dedicated his life to it.”

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