The Ä¢¹½tv String Project, a community music education outreach program for children ages five to 18 in Indiana and the surrounding area, is now accepting applications for private lesson instruction on violin, viola, cello, and bass. Applications are due on September 1.
An Ä¢¹½tv String Project Open House will kick off the season on Thursday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. by Zoom. Lessons will begin the week of September 13. For more information and an application, please visit the String Project website. For further information or to register for the Open House on September 10, contact Linda Jennings at ljenning@iup.edu or (724) 357-2649.
To accommodate the safety needs of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some changes and new policies this fall. The main change is that lessons are now available either in person or online dependent on student and teacher preferences. Students can provide preferences on the Ä¢¹½tv String Project Application form.
The Ä¢¹½tv String Project curriculum consists of weekly private lessons and ensemble classes. Lessons are 30 minutes to one hour in length. At the end of each semester students also have the opportunity to perform solo and ensemble pieces on recitals. Lessons, group classes, and recitals take place on the Ä¢¹½tv campus and are taught by Ä¢¹½tv music students. The Ä¢¹½tv String Project is designed to support the string programs in the public schools. Therefore, all students enrolled in the Ä¢¹½tv String Project must also be enrolled in their school orchestra program, if one is available.
The Ä¢¹½tv String Project is also provides a teacher-training program for Ä¢¹½tv music students who are the teachers in the program. The program provides hands-on practical experience teaching one-on-one lessons, as well as, teaching groups in a classroom setting and conducting a string orchestra. In addition, teachers gain invaluable experience participating in recruiting programs in public and private schools, gaining teaching ideas and guidance at regular pedagogy meetings and receiving feedback on their teaching. The teachers are supervised by the Ä¢¹½tv String Faculty members and by Ä¢¹½tv String Project Master Teacher Swana Chepaitis.
The Ä¢¹½tv String Project is one of 43 similar programs joined under the auspices of the , dedicated to promoting string music education in the United States. As a member of the NSPC, the Ä¢¹½tv String Project joins in addressing the two main issues facing string education today: 1) the low numbers of public schools that offer string music education programs to children, and 2) the critical shortage of string teachers in the US. The program is directed by Ä¢¹½tv music faculty member Linda Jennings.
For more information, visit the Ä¢¹½tv String Project website.