Now that we’re in all 50 states, help us identify other communities and programs in states we can have more presence in; tell your friends and colleagues about our grant program!
Here are our current statistics as of 01-01-2020:
Check out this great video (part 2) from Newburg Middle School. You may remember part 1 from just a few months ago when they received their 40 new instruments.
Students at Nesin Cultural Arts are excited with the arrival of their new instruments!
“Recently Shenandoah Valley Academy had their Christmas pops concert including the beautiful bass that they received from CFKF. We’re so grateful”
VIDEO: Chicago West Community Music Center
https://vimeo.com/storyview/review/310395609/b01be70e4e
NEWS ARTICLE: Maestro Muti Conducts Master Class with CWCMC Orchestra
https://chicagocrusader.com/muti-keeps-promise-holds-special-rehearsal-for-cwcmc/
Testimonies from ArtPlus’s Project Harmony Program:
https://www.artsplus.org/
Jessica Lindsey, Project Harmony Lead Winds Instructor:
“Project Harmony at West Sugar Creek is on its way to becoming a full-fledged symphony orchestra! Right now we are a group young people who are excited about learning to play an instrument and learning to work together as musicians. Especially with additional support of student interns and student volunteers the students have already learned a lot about the culture of playing in an orchestra: the ways in which we encourage each other by listening and giving applause; how we begin and end musical sounds together; and the importance of order and following the directions of the conductor(s).”
Rebecca Ray, Project Harmony Lead Strings Instructor:
“I am excited to witness the growth and size of our Project Harmony site this year. We have a group of 18 aspiring violinists and cellists! They were eager to learn from the very beginning and I have seen each one of them succeed in the following areas: learning bow holds, learning how to hold their instruments in rest position and playing position, properly caring for instruments, and working as a team.
The second year students are a source of inspiration to the new string students. Just last week, I witnessed several second year students patiently giving guidance to the new students on how to sit properly in orchestra and how to hold their bow.”
Neighborhood Strings is an El-Sistema inspired, community-based program of the Worcester Chamber Music Society (WCMS) that offers free music lessons in violin, viola and cello to youth from Worcester’s Downtown and Main South neighborhoods. The program provides affordable, high-quality arts education, fosters family involvement, and is open and accessible to the neighborhoods. Youth learn to make music together with musicians and friends from the WCMS. In the process, they discover a creative outlet that hones life skills like discipline, cooperation, imagination, and leadership. Teachers work to forge strong relationships with students that strengthen WCMS’s ties to the community. The focus is not just on the child as a musician, but the child as a citizen and a contributing member of society.
https://worcesterchambermusic.org/neighborhood-strings
Highlights from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s new program, Young Musicians, as part of the organization’s Southern Dallas Residency. https://www.mydso.com/
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT:
Young Musicians performing with DSO Musicians at our recent Annual Meeting
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT:
Young Musicians Program Summer Camps
In Dallas, the ultimate goal of Young Musicians is to provide every student in Southern Dallas, regardless of the school they attend, with the opportunity to learn and excel at their chosen instrument. This will be done by continuing to develop programs in a growing number of sites spread across the southern region of the city.
From the Vanderveer Park Program: “Thanks to the Classics for Kids Foundation, we were able to start our new violin/strings program in May 2019. We now have six students who participate in a group lesson on Saturdays. They love it and are excited to be learning a new instrument. There are also four children on the waiting list so we hope to extend this in the future.”
