PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society was awarded $29,300 to support their Access & Inspiration Strings Program. Funding will purchase 20 new violins and violas to be used in a free lending program that enables elementary strings students to borrow string instruments and graduate into larger instruments as they grow. An estimated 200 elementary school students participate in the strings program annually. The Chamber Music Society has 40 instruments in circulation now, all of which are currently in use.
Funding will additionally support three years of an Artists-in-Residence program intended to provide inspiration to strings students and promote interest in classical music with prospective students and families. Inspiring new musicians is seen as a critical step in expanding the Chamber Music Society’s educational programs. The Chamber Music Society has identified that classical music instruction supports children to develop: discipline, tenacity, confidence, focus, collaboration and self-expression.