Finishing 2018

As we approach our winter break and close out 2018, we’d like to thank so many for all your support!  Please visit our partners and supporters page for links to foundations and organizations which helped make Strings Attached possible again in 2018.

Please also explore this page for an overview of what happened with us in 2018.

“Christmas Guitars and Cookies” was an annual success with students entertaining 200 guests with holiday songs and sing-alongs played on guitars and ukuleles.  We awarded a  couple of more guitars at the show, bringing our total of awarded guitars this year to 12.  Strings Attached helps local kids with loaner instruments to begin with and then graduates hard-working students to an instrument to keep as their own, through the generosity of donors to the project.

We started  2018 with full individual weekly classes for youth ages 5 to 17 in Ferguson.

In February, another ukulele training workshop was given with St. Louis County Librarians as they continue to expand ukulele opportunities for youth through local library branches.  This summer we visited and give ukulele classes to young people in a number of library branches throughout the region as part of “Libraries Rock!” summer reading movement. We also collaborated with the Ukulele Fight Club of St. Louis to help provide funding for new ukuleles, cases and music books that are distributed to the public through the library system.  The public can now check out ukuleles and learn to play!

 

On Friday, June 1st our 2018 Spring recital was held at St. Stephen’s, 33 North Clay, Ferguson, MO 63135.  Along with wonderful student music performances, we awarded a new batch of guitars and ukuleles to students with music GRIT!

ALSO THAT NIGHT – we announced the winners of the “LES PAUL INNOVATION CONTEST.”  Strings Attached students were invited to submit inventions, innovations in guitar, ukulele and sound recording.

5 winners were selected for prizes ranging from a Les Paul guitar, Les Paul ukulele and music gift bags containing strings, tuners and other goodies!  Many of Les Paul’s inventions and innovations had their beginnings in his childhood and teenage years including the solid body electric guitar.

We want our students to think in these creative ways also in their formative years. Read more about Les Paul at The Les Paul Foundation and at  Les Paul.com

In June and July, 2018 Ukulele group classes resumed for kids ages 5 to 8.  Little kids love the size of ukulele and it makes a great instrument for kids to gain some experience in music by strumming, reading chords, measures and learning to keep a beat.

Strings Attached and Suzuki Harmony StL partnered for an “Instrument Petting Zoo” at the Ferguson Library on Saturday, July 14th from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Kids got an opportunity to try out guitars, ukuleles, violins, cellos, banjos and other assorted instruments.  The Ferguson Library is located at 35 N Florissant Rd, Ferguson, Missouri 63135

After the Instrument Petting Zoo, we stuck around to give free ukulele lessons to patrons  at the Ferguson Library and learn the basics of the instrument while learning a song.  They learned their first chords on ukulele, strumming and chord patterns.

We were also at the Ferguson Library on June 21, 2018 for “Make Music Day.”

MAKE MUSIC DAY is an annual city-wide celebration of music that takes place on June 21. Anyone and everyone is invited to either join and play music, or host performances. Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

We participated with performances on Play Music on the Porch Day in August, Little Creek Nature Area’s 50th Anniversary in October and our annual Christmas Guitars concert in December.

Update!  The Arts and Education StARTup fundraiser raised over $3200 over the holidays thanks to our generous supporters.  Thank you for contributing to 2018’s Award guitars and loaner instrument fund!!

 

–Our annual “AWARD GUITARS” online fundraiser through the Arts and Education Council took place during the entire month of December to raise funds for 2018/2019 award guitars/ukuleles and loaner instrument fund. Please donate and let friends know about it by sharing on social media.
This year, every dollar donated was matched by the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation with up to $5,000 worth of matching funds.  Strings Attached kids are some of the best-outfitted of all music programs with quality instruments due to the generosity of people giving during these efforts.