Education, Our Commitment
7-year-old cellist Ruth Naakgteboren.
As lovers of classical music, we know the value of music education. It expands our artistic horizons and brings enjoyment to our lives. Research has shown that music education, especially in children, does far more than that. Learning to play a musical instrument or sing in a choir has positive effects on the brain. Engagement with music can improve the way the brain processes information. It can strengthen decision-making capabilities and help focus attention. Studies have also shown that music education boosts IQ. In our Sedona schools, music education helps with the new emphasis on Whole Child Learning.
Student Orchestra with Kristina Beachell conducting.
For the love of music and the commitment to our community, Chamber Music Sedona has been delivering music education for decades. We have raised funds to purchase instruments for the school programs and sponsor after-school lessons as well sponsoring two after-school student string orchestras, one for advanced students and one for beginning students. We invite the public to attend the student orchestra’s concerts put on twice a year. We also work with the schools to help with their music programs in any way they find will be supportive of their music teachers. We put on rehearsals for the students with internationally renowned musicians. During these events the students interact with the musicians and share a pizza lunch at the end of the rehearsal.
850+ Students at Aizuri Concert.
Chamber Music Sedona also hosts Concerts for Youth for local schoolchildren at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. These are full, professional concerts with the artists we bring in for our concerts. These are held for hundreds of students and their teachers. When our musicians show up, the atmosphere in the auditorium is crackling with energy. The world-class musicians engage personally with the students, answering their questions and explaining the intricacies of grand classical music. For the children, these concerts become memorable, lifetime experiences.
These music education programs are funded through grants from the City of Sedona, the Arizona Commission for the Arts, and generous donations from our members.
A few letters from students who have attended educational programs.
“Chamber Music Sedona has been the single most helpful, supportive and educational program I’ve had the fortune to work alongside in the 2019-2020 school year. Not only are the concerts that CMS puts on at a world-class level (and free tickets are always generously provided to my students!), but the educational programs CMS brings into our schools are truly invaluable. We have had the opportunity to have many guest performers and workshops, and every single one of my students walked away from those experiences motivated and invigorated to continue their musical studies. I have been a student in public school music programs, as well as taught at countless institutions across the globe, and I have very rarely seen the incredible support and resources that CMS has given my students.”
“Chamber Music Sedona has maintained support for music education in Sedona schools for around 20 years. Their concerts and master class lessons are appreciated greatly by our students and their teachers. We heartily support this effort as it corresponds well with changes we are making with our new whole child education and leadership initiatives.”
