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Violin






Music Masters
Music program celebrating 15th Anniversary with concert.
by Buena Park Independent and Orange County News (April 18, 2008)

For fifteen years elementary school students have been drawing their bows across their violins, violas and cellos, making beautiful music in the Pacific Symphony's Music Masters Program. The program started in 1993 in the Anaheim City School District, grades 4 through 6.

'We had a problem with the children not being able to continue playing their string instruments into the junior high and high school years as only band was offered. It was decided three years later in 1996 to move the program to the western portion of Anaheim into the Savanna School District so that the students could continue their string education into Orangeview Junior High and then Western High School,” said teacher Julie Metz. The small district is made up of four elementary schools: Holder, Hansen, Cerritos, and Reid.

It's the only program of its kind in the Anaheim area. Students sign up for the class in the beginning of the school year and once a week for 45 minutes they are taught the fundamentals of music and playing their instrument. The class meets during the school day every week from October to May. “The classes are so popular,” said Metz “that we do sometimes turn away students because we just don't have enough instruments for the 50 plus students in each of our four elementary schools.” Students rent or purchase their instruments from local stores. When that is not possible, scholarships are given.

“The Pacific Symphony Harp Guild has been very generous to purchase cellos for us. Parents have also donated violins as their children grow out of the smaller sizes into bigger ones. The district has made a generous commitment to the program by also purchasing instruments.”

'Our students don't have the means to study music privately. The class may be the only exposure they have to music. The shared concerts with Orangeview in December and the Anaheim Union High School District's GATE Orchestras in May, give the Music Masters students a pride in their learning and an inspiration to participate in something greater than themselves.”
On May 12, the Music Masters string students will celebrate the fifteenth year anniversary with a Spring Concert at the Knott Avenue Christian Church. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and it is free to the public. Metz requests that all alumni come back for this special evening.

'If you play an instrument, we would love you to perform in the orchestra. If you don't play anymore, we would still like you to come and show your support for this great program,' Metz said.

Alumni, Brian Morales and Sam Rodriquez formerly of the Cerritos School, will perform their original composition, “Like a Child.”