August 04, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - More students will have the opportunity to participate in Western Kentucky University’s popular Pre-College String Development program beginning this fall.
Strings classes will now be open to students from any Warren County elementary school and will be scheduled at two locations on varying days.
A meeting for interested strings students and their parents is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at Cumberland Trace Elementary School. Students can register for the program and be sized for their instrument at that time.
The strings program offers instruction on violin, viola, cello and bass in a group orchestra setting. Students meet once a week after school and can choose a location that is most convenient for them.
According to Sarah Berry, professional in residence at WKU and county strings program instructor, “Through participation in the strings program, students not only learn to play an instrument and read music, but they learn about teamwork, problem-solving, self-discipline and self-expression.”
Beginning classes for new strings students in fourth-sixth grades or those with one year or less of experience will be held at Natcher Elementary School on Mondays and at Briarwood Elementary School on Tuesdays beginning Aug. 18.
Intermediate classes for students in fifth-sixth grades who have taken at least one or two years of instruction (in the schools or privately) will be held at Natcher on Wednesdays and at Briarwood on Thursdays beginning Aug. 13.
All class times are from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuition for the 2008-09 year is $100 per semester for elementary school students.
Classes at Drakes Creek Middle School and Cumberland Trace Elementary School will maintain their same schedule during school hours. Parent from these schools may also participate in the open house scheduled on Aug. 14.
As an optional enhancement to the program, a Warren County Honor Orchestra for intermediate strings students will meet every other Friday at Drakes Creek Middle School. The orchestra will give students more opportunities to perform in and with a large ensemble. The first concert for the WCHO will be at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Cumberland Trace Elementary School.
WKU’s Music Department and the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO) developed the Pre-College String Development Program in 2003 to offer high quality instruction in orchestral stringed instruments in a nurturing environment.
For more information and to download a registration form, visit the Continuing Education website at www.wku.edu/ce. To request a registration form by mail or fax, call the Continuing Education office at (270) 745-1912.
Continuing Education is a unit of the Division of Extended Learning & Outreach (DELO).
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Stacey Biggs at (270) 745-1926.
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