National String Project Consortium extends College of Music funding with $10,000 grant

The National Endowment for the Arts and the National String Project Consortium recently extended funding for the UNT College of Music String Project with a $10,000 grant for the 2003-04 school year.

The National String Project Consortium was created by the American String Teachers Association in 2000, with the aim of addressing the nation's shortage of about 5,000 string teachers for the nation's public schools.

The UNT String Project was one of the consortium's original 10 programs, receiving guaranteed funding for three years. Today, the consortium has grown to 36 programs, which were selected competitively. UNT was re-evaluated in 2003 and was one of five programs selected to receive additional funding with an option to renew.

The UNT String Project began with 50 second- and third-graders from the Denton Independent School District learning to play violin, viola, cello and bass from five UNT undergraduate string education majors.

Last year, during the third year of the original grant, the UNT String Project had nearly 150 second-, third- and fourth-grade students in the program and nine UNT student teachers.

"We really want this program to work in conjunction with the program at the schools, so once the students join the string program in school, their classes at UNT will turn into technique classes and private lessons that supplement their education," says Karrell Johnson, director and master teacher of the UNT String Project.

The String Project has played a major role in attracting prospective string teachers to UNT and has increased the university's enrollment from 10 to 30 string education majors.

"Those numbers prove that the program is working," Johnson says. "In fact, they have already begun to translate into more well-trained string teachers for the public schools."

Four of the UNT String Project's student teachers are now teaching in public schools. And in the fall, 11 UNT students will teach String Project classes and tutorials, and Sharon Veazey, former Denton ISD director, will join UNT as the String Project master teacher.

BY KELLEY REESE kreese@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Summer I enrollment dips 1.9 percent
• More changes on the way for UNT employee prescription drug plan
• UNT work attire standards relax as temperatures go up
• Verizon donates $50,000 to UNT's TAMS
• Faculty Senate holds final 2002-03 meeting
• UNT chancellor hits the books
• First Flight Week planned to help incoming freshmen learn about life on campus
• UNT holds first-of-its-kind bilingual education camp for high school students
• UNT professor: New Harry Potter book will continue inspiring reading, discussion between adults and children

homepage