Students who want to play stringed instruments can now take advantage of a group program without going to Colorado Springs. LeeCathryn Highfield, music teacher for Peyton District schools, has brought the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association to Peyton Elementary School.The CSYSA satellite program, Mozart String Project, is open to all second and third grade students in the eastern plains region. Students pay $100 per semester for group instruction and can choose to learn the violin, viola, cello or string bass. Rental instruments are available through Grainer Music and average $20 per month.”The Mozart String Project gives us the best of rural living and the opportunities of living in town,” Highfield said.The Mozart String Project is a skill-based program, said Debi Krause-Rensch, CSYSA executive director. The young students are taught proper bow technique, ear training, rhythm and note reading. “When they master the fundamentals, the kids’ outcomes soar and they love it,” she said.Successful CSYSA outreach collaborations and concerts in Peyton showed CSYSA that it was a progressive community and the right location for a satellite program, Krause-Rensch said. The program fulfills the CSYSA mission to provide artistic and educational development and enrich the cultural environment of the community, she added.”Because so many schools don’t have string programs, there won’t be an audience or players in the future. We are fulfilling a real community need,” she said.The Mozart String Project helps students excel in many other areas. “The violin is the most beneficial instrument for building synapses in the brain,” Krause-Rensch said. “It’s not just music. They are learning math, language and developing motor and leadership skills.”Peyton teachers saw improvement in students last year, the pilot year of the Peyton program. “We’ve had kids struggling with language and math,” she said. “They learn music and start improving in the other subjects.”Mozart String Project students meet after school twice a week and also are expected to practice their instrument outside of class. Students give performances each semester and are eligible to attend the CSYSA weekend workshops and camps held in February and August.After students have completed two years in Mozart Strings, they are able to audition for one of the seven CSYSA performing groups. Highfield said Peyton Elementary School incorporates the students into the band program, which begins in fourth grade.In partnership with CSYSA, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale established the Eastern Plains Chorale for students in third grade and up. The chorale meets once a week.An information meeting will be held Aug.14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Peyton Elementary School music room. Enrollment is open to all students in the eastern plains region. Need-based scholarships also are available. Students interested in participating in the program can contact Peyton Elementary School at 719-749-0170.For more information about the CSYSA, visit www.csya.com or call 719-633-3901For the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, visit www.kidssing.org or call 719-633-3562.
