For four boys on the Lower East Side make music, especially classical or jazz music. But that was never a goal.

That was until all of them, 8-year-old Hanley Nunez, 10-year-olds Javien Paneto and Jose Nadal, and Hanley's 11-year-old brother Ahron were introduced to instruments through an outreach program of the Turtle Bay Music School in Manhattan when they were all at P.S. 20 on Essex Street. Learning to read and play instruments changed their lives.

Jose Nadal plays the violin.

"I feel like I can do anything with it," Jose said.

Hanley Nunez plays the drums, while his brother Ahron, who earned a 4-year scholarship to the music school plays violin.

"I really like how it sounds," said Hanley.

But they'll only be students of the music school, located on Manhattan's east side, until the end of January. That's when the school will go silent, shutting down after 94 years of offering music lessons to people aged zero to 90. And these boys and their parents say when they found out last week, they felt something had been taken away from them.

"Violin was my best talent and I want it to keep going," said Jose.

"I was desperate, desperate because I wanted this to stay open," said Javien.

"It's like finding out that you're getting a gift and there's like, never a gift. Like, oops sorry," said Ahron.

In a letter to students and parents, board members said that as a small community school, Turtle Bay had always been vulnerable but that society's, "shifting priorities" finally sounded the death knell.

The board president, Jeff Schlosser, told NY1 on the phone that dwindling donations, rising debts, and competition from online music lessons are factors in the decision to close.

"The decline in music education has been happening forever but has been really felt by our teaching professionals,” he added.

Schlosser added the biggest tragedy was the hundreds of public school students like the ones at P.S. 20 who would be missing out: talented enough to take classical music training, but whose families could not afford it.  

"It's priceless - it's more than that," said Maria Acevedo, mother of Jose.

She and several other parents wondered where they would find the kind of joy that comes from hearing your child play, after the music school shutters for good.

"It's like the angels are talking to you because you see these little kids, and they're so devoted to their instruments," said Acevedo.

The only angel that might keep the school of 63 teachers and staff, and hundreds of students open is an angel investor. It's a holiday wish these boys are sending up now.