April 25, 2002

Nissa Evenson, a junior music education major, works with a student in the UNL String Project. Students in the String Project will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. April 29 at Kimball Recital Hall.

String Project students in concert April 29

By Kathe Andersen, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

Students in the UNL String Project will perform their spring concert at 7:30 p.m. April 29 in Kimball Recital Hall. The free concert will give the public a chance to see how a national program focused on getting more string teachers into the schools is working well at UNL.

In August 2000, UNL and nine other U.S. colleges and universities received funding to begin a "String Project" to address the shortage of string teachers around the country. Funding was through the American String Teachers Association with the National School Orchestra Association. The grant was for $30,000 ($10,000 per year) from the U.S. Department of Education and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

"The String Project enables students to get a head start on learning a string instrument before starting their school program," said Karen Becker, associate professor of cello and director of the UNL String Project. "This gives these students the potential to be leaders in their school orchestras. The String Project further strengthens the Lincoln Public Schools and parochial string programs and will most likely provide a larger number of string students for those programs."

Within 10 years, 250 students and teachers and 3,500 children are expected to be enrolled in the String Project sites every year, putting a major dent into the problem of string teacher shortages. There are 26 schools in the String Project Consortium, including 13 FIPSE sites, including UNL.

UNL is in its second year of offering classes to begin students on a string instrument one year before when they would normally start strings in their school. Enrollment is currently at about 100 students, with 40 in the second-year classes and 60 first-year students. Students come from Lincoln and surrounding towns, such as Eagle and Crete. Ten undergraduate students and two graduate students from UNL teach in the program. Alice Johnson, a retired string teacher from Fremont, is the Master Teacher this year. Huadong Lu, Lincoln Public School string specialist, was the Master Teacher for the program's first year. The Master Teacher supervises the student teachers through modeling and observing.

"All of the students in the String Project, once they are old enough, are required to be in their school orchestras," Becker said. "The program is designed to enhance, not compete, with school programs and to give our university students the teaching experience."

Students who continue next year into their third year in the program will have the opportunity to add private lessons taught by one of the String Project teachers.

UNL's String Project was modeled after the University of South Carolina String Project, which was formed more than 27 years ago; it currently has 351 students and 28 undergraduate teachers in the program.

The String Project provides hands-on training for the UNL undergraduate students, who are involved in creating lesson plans and setting up the classroom.

"I'm amazed with these kids," said Scott Tran, a sophomore violin major from Grand Island. "They work hard and it's very gratifying to see them do well."

Tran is in his first year of teaching in the String Project. Having no prior teaching experience, he is grateful for the opportunity to teach.

"Now, I know it's something I can do more comfortably," he said. "Going into this first year, I thought I might just watch a lot and learn from the other teachers who are music education majors or who have private teaching experience," he said. "But they've allowed me to get up in front of the class and take charge of a portion of class."

Nissa Evenson, a junior music education major, says the String Project students "are very receptive to what they learn."

Evenson's plans include teaching, possibly through a private violin studio.

"I do enjoy it," she said. "I've learned a lot of teaching techniques and ways of teaching from watching other people and watching the master teachers. We learn a lot from each other."

In addition, Becker's UNL string colleagues were supportive of the initial grant application and have been helped the program by giving workshops to the students. A key component to making the String Project work was the availability of string majors to serve as teachers.

"This would not have happened without their support and Richard Scott's [supervisor of music for the Lincoln Public Schools] and Larry Mallett's [then Director of the School of Music]," Becker said.

"Last fall I met with string students in the School of Music, and 25 of them showed interest in participating [with eight selected to teach]," Becker said. "Six years ago, we probably wouldn't have had enough majors to make this work."

Recruiting for next year's String Project begins this spring. Becker and the undergraduate teachers visit elementary schools in April and May and continue at the start of the new school year.

In concert Students in UNL's String Project will give a free concert at 7:30 p.m. April 29 at Kimball Recital Hall.   For information If you would like more information about the String Project or enrollment information, please contact Karen Becker at 472-4253 or e-mail kbecker2@unl.edu.

School of Music student recitals continue

The UNL School of Music will present more student recitals throughout the end of April and into May.

Joseph Gonzales will perform in a piano recital at 1:30 p.m. April 28 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Rich Winkels will present a euphonium recital at 5 p.m. April 28 at the 7th Street Loft.

Paul Marchese will present a vocal recital at 7:30 p.m. April 28 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Kevin Fullerton will perform a trombone recital at 5:15 p.m. April 30 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Angelo Subito will present a vocal recital at 5:15 p.m. April 30 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Rachel Fritz will perform in a piano recital at 6:30 p.m. April 30 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Nina Englin, clarinet, and Alyssa Johnson, flute, will present a joint recital at 6:30 p.m. April 30 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Maran Kunkel will present a cello recital at 7:45 p.m. April 30 in 199 Westbrook Music Building.

Ryann Houlihann and Nikki Wilkinson in perform a joint oboe recital at 7:45 p.m. April 30 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Scott Miller will present a vocal recital at 5:15 p.m. May 1 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Alexis Berggren in a vocal recital at 5:15 p.m. May 1 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Anne Gray will perform in a vocal recital at 6:30 p.m. May 1 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Britt Sommer will present a vocal recital at 6:30 p.m. May 1 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Gene Kelley will present a bass recital at 7:45 p.m. May 1 in Kimball Recital Hall.

J.R. Gould will present a vocal recital at 7:45 p.m. May 1 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Katherine Baeth will perform in a flute recital at 5:15 p.m. May 2 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Chad Houk's piano recital is at 5:15 p.m. May 2 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Charles Smith will perform in a vocal recital at 6:30 p.m. May 2 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Dennis DeWald will present a trombone recital at 6:30 p.m. May 2 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Marina Fabrikant will present a piano recital at 7:45 p.m. May 2 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Ben Shellhaas will present a percussion recital at 7:45 p.m. May 2 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Jefferson Campbell will present a bassoon recital at 3 p.m. May 4 in 119 Westbrook Music Building.

Ben Carlisle will present a harpsichord recital at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at St. Mark's Church.

All of the recitals are free and open to the public.