Education, Our Commitment

CMS Student Concert

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 actually boosts IQ. In our Sedona schools, music education helps with the new emphasis on Whole Child Learning.

For the love of the 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. We provide private and group lessons. The group lessons take the form of our brand-new string orchestra program.

Chamber Music Sedona also hosts Concerts for Youth for local schoolchildren during the school day at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. This is done with the support of the Red Rock Junior and Senior Highschool, and are full, professional concerts 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, donations from the Sedona Arts Festival and Sedona Open Studios as well as the generous donations from our members.

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.

“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.”

Nathaniel Wolkstein – Orchestra Director and Music Appreciation Teacher at RRHS

“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.”

Dennis Dearden – Superintendent, Sedona Oak Creek School District 9

You can indicate on the form if you’d like your donation to go towards our educational programs and student scholarships.