The National Strings Project Consortium (NSPC), a NAMM Foundation grantee for 11 years, is dedicated to increasing the number of children playing stringed instruments while also addressing the shortage of string teachers in the U.S. The organization’s String Projects are designed to have a multi-pronged impact: teaching children how to play a stringed instrument while also training college students to pay forward their skills and gifts to enrich the community and the next generation!
The NAMM Foundation’s grants have facilitated the growth of the NSPC’s String Project programs, providing more students access to music lessons and increasing investment in training for college students. NSPC’s Strings Projects provide access to music lessons for thousands of students, many who are in challenging economic and social circumstances, and trains “music teachers of tomorrow” who will have a positive ripple effect throughout their communities.
“We are passionate about creating environments for children to learn how to play a stringed instrument and for college students to learn how to teach a stringed instrument," shared Dr. Amy E. Gillingham, Executive Director of the National String Project Consortium. "When we create these environments, we strengthen music education, we enrich communities, and most importantly, we build into the lives of individuals who go on to do the same for others. The NAMM Foundation's support is critical to our cause because they directly and generously fund our college student teachers—the individuals who make String Projects tick. These students will go on to be our teachers of tomorrow, and investing our resources to cultivate excellent, prepared, and enthusiastic teachers will provide exponential impact that will carry through generations.”