Sounds too good to be true?
It's the truth, alright. Each of these young children from Durham Public Schools is about to receive his or her very own violin from KidZNotes, a not-for-profit organization promoting classical music training for children in East Durham's poorest neighorhoods. The violins and lessons--four lessons a week after school, and rehearsal on Saturdays--are all free.
KidZNotes Director Katie Wyatt (pictured here) leads the Durham initiative. And the global connection? This educational music movement comes from Venezuela.
Conceived and directed by Jose Antonio Abreu (an economist, as well as a composer, and conductor), El Sistema has touched and improved the lives of over 800,000 children living in poverty in the past thirty-five years. Its success has been re-created all over the world. Wyatt studied the curriculum in Venezuela as an Abreu Fellow and determined to bring it to Durham. You can read about the program here.
The long term plan is to replicate the East Durham project in other parts of the city and the state. (Maybe in your school district!) You can read more about KidZNotes and the big launch here. And keep up with KidZNotes with Katie's blog.
Congratulations to KidZNotes and East Durham's budding musicians on a wonderful start. When you start posting your concerts on YouTube, we'll post the link here!
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