Fall Enrollment Underway for Community Music Education Program

Related Link: www.cfa.ilstu.edu/stringproject.

Fall enrollment has begun for one of Bloomington-Normal’s unique community music education programs.  The Illinois State University String Project is accepting third- and fourth-graders into the fall semester beginning class, which offers low-cost instruction to students who wish to learn the violin, viola and cello.

String Project was established at Illinois State in 2001, thanks to grant support from the School of Music and the American String Teachers Association.  Since then, about 70 young students have been taking lessons each year.  Many students come from school districts such as Danvers, Gridley, Farmer City, Heyworth, and Lexington, where no string program is offered.  Other students come from Bloomington-Normal to get a head start on learning an instrument after budget cuts pushed back the public school strings program to begin in 5th grade.

Students as young as eight can begin taking classes in ISU’s program.  The cost of tuition is kept at a low $65 per semester to make the program accessible to all families.  Scholarships are also available.

String Project is led by faculty members from the School of Music in collaboration with music education majors.  To learn more about the program and fall registration, contact director Adriana Ransom at (309) 438-8009, or visit the String Project website at www.cfa.ilstu.edu/stringproject.