Our mission
The String Project remains true today to its founding core mission from 1974: increasing teaching opportunities for undergraduate music education students and expanding access to music performance and the excitement of the arts for children from all socio-economic backgrounds.
A valuable initiative
Universally recognized as a model program, the University of South Carolina String Project’s achievements ring clear. Hundreds of South Carolina students in grades 3 through 12 have received string instruction from music professionals and Carolina undergraduate students. The String Project enrolls more than 300 students, taught by 27 School of Music undergraduate string education majors and two graduate assistants each year.
The impact of your philanthropy
Your philanthropy makes the USC String Project possible. Donor support enables USC to provide undergraduate music students a modest stipend for their work to encourage participation.
Without funding support, teaching opportunities for university students would not be possible, and the door would be closed for lower-income families’ participation. That would result in fewer music teachers and less diversity in the arts and education.
Access to music instruction can often be divided along economic lines. The goal of the university and the String Project is to maintain the affordability of instruction to minimize this division. With philanthropy helping to keep costs down and fees low, hundreds of inner-city children in the Columbia area have participated in the String Project.
Philanthropic support comes from a symphony of individuals, foundations, national music groups and civic organizations including The Nord Foundation, Knight Foundation, and grants from Strings Magazine and the Junior League of Richland County.