We’re celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month here at Spectrum News 1.

It's important to learn about as the Asian population in New York has risen quite a bit over the past decade, by more than 37%, totaling almost 11% of the state's population between 2010 to 2020.

Those numbers, provided by the U.S. Census, were driven by Asian children, refugees and immigrants.

Something else that Census data showed us - there was limited English proficiency and high poverty rates found for Asian populations across upstate New York.

That's why access to education is a top priority for leaders helping these communities’ across the state.

Our Viktoria Hallikaar shows us how one organization is offering music education to help break down some barriers.