On March 5 that encouragement will pay off, when Kids Helping Kids--a 10-piano charity concert at Campbell's Heritage Theatre--hits all the right notes. The event will raise money for the Sunday Friends Foundation, a local nonprofit organization serving low-income families.

Jane Hoshiwara's 12-year-old daughter, Carissa, has participated in all the Kids Helping Kids concerts. They are unlike any other piano concert, Hoshiwara said.

"Wely really makes music fun," Hoshiwara said. "There's never a dull moment on stage."

Among her favorites from past concerts, Hoshiwara said, is a piece performed by three students on each piano--a total of 30 children on stage.

For Wely music is about creating a positive experience.

"Kids today are under so much pressure with all the academics," says Wely, who has been teaching for 35 years. "Music needs to be something that's relaxing and free."

Wely and her students put on their first charity concert in 1999. Since then teacher and students have raised $40,000 for various local organizations that focus on helping children, including EMQ, Child Advocates and the children's ward at Sub-Acute Saratoga Hospital.

The last Kids Helping Kids concert, in November 2003, raised more than $12,000. That event was also for the Sunday Friends Foundation.

"That's a significant amount of money for Sunday Friends," says Michael Hobson, the foundation's associate executive director. "We are a very small organization."

Every Sunday, the nonprofit opens its doors to about 30 homeless and low-income families, giving them an opportunity to engage in various activities such as homework, cooking or gardening. Each family member earns tickets, which by the end of the day can be used to buy items from the "treasure chest," ranging from school supplies to household goods.

The money raised from this year's Kids Helping Kids concert will go toward stocking the treasure chest, Hobson says.

Wely says she had played with the thought of organizing a large-scale fundraiser with her students long before the first Kids Helping Kids concert actually took place. Her piano lessons also included some form of community service, such as giving recitals in local retirement homes.

Rachel Care, 15, who as an 11-year student of Wely's has participated in a number of these community service recitals, said over time she even established relationships with some of the retirement home residents. The values she's adopted from her piano teacher, the Los Gatos teenager said, are for life.

"She's showing that to be active and to do something is just so much more rewarding than just playing and saying goodbye and leaving," Care said.

Wely's main goal is to make giving back to others fun and meaningful to youth.

Because community service is a requirement in many high schools, some students may experience it as an extra burden on their already tight schedule, Wely said. But if young people can give back to the community with something they enjoy, their attitude is likely to change.

"I could care less about the hours and credits," said Kipp Trieu, a 16-year-old Cupertino student, who has been taking lessons with Wely for almost 10 years.

Trieu, who has participated in all the Kids Helping Kids concerts, said each one of them was rewarding because he was able to use his hobby to help others in need.

"You just have a good feeling inside yourself," he added.

To Wely, an essential part of the event is that her students maintain a sense of ownership.

"I make it their project," she said, adding that beyond practicing their musical pieces, her protégés also design the program, emcee the event and help with the fundraising through car washes and bake sales.

Care said that the Kids Helping Kids Concert has become an invaluable part of her life, just like her teacher's positive influence.

"Piano has varied in its priority in my life," she said. "But [Wely] has always been there. She's taught me community service, endurance and to work through difficult times."

The Kids Helping Kids concert is scheduled for March 5 at 3 p.m. at the Campbell Heritage Theatre, 1 W. Campbell Ave. Admission is free. Donations are requested, with all the proceeds going toward the Sunday Friends Foundation, a local nonprofit organization for the homeless and low-income families.