String Music Program

An education in music is much more than a diversion for an hour. Well-organized, sustained music study gives a student intellectual and creative advantages that will last a lifetime. The study of music allows students to gain an appreciation and understanding of civilization’s greatest achievements and nurtures skills and abilities that form the basis for success in any area of a child’s education.
Ambleside School is beginning its string orchestra program and we would like to invite all 4th graders and older to consider joining our Thursday afternoon orchestra program.

We have hired a wonderful teacher, Jessica Embach, who has been playing the violin for the past 22 years. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin and she teaches the Suzuki method of violin at the UT String Project (which was recently voted the top string program in the nation) and at the Armstrong Community Music School associated with the Austin Lyric Opera. Jessica also plays with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and the Austin Symphony.

We will start the orchestra ensemble next spring. The number of students participating in the ensemble will determine the cost of the ensemble. For the first year, group lessons will be required, but not ensemble participation.

Why join the orchestra? What can my child gain?

12 Important skills
1. Self-confidence. Being able to produce meaningful music instills a sense of
accomplishment and confidence.
2. Coordination. Hand, eye, body posture and thought all work together when one plays an
instrument.
3. Teamwork. In orchestra, you are an important part of the musical team.
4. Comprehension. Learning to perceive and derive meaning from musical sounds and
symbols sharpens one’s ability to comprehend abstractions.
5. Problem-solving. Learning the basics of music teaches one to understand a problem and
reach an appropriate solution.
6. Discipline. Learning all of the basics of music and applying them correctly takes
perception and discipline.
7. Arts Appreciation. The word beauty, serenity, and excitement come to life with each
musical experience. These feelings help you appreciate all forms of art.
8. Reasoning logically. Analyzing a musical work develops one’s inductive and deductive
reasoning skills.
9. Communicating. Music offers the ability to cultivate feelings and thoughts through
nonverbal means and to respond to these nonverbal thoughts in others.
10. Conceptualizing. You learn how cultures use music for personal expression.
11. Making value judgements. Learning to comprehend, consider, and evaluate in music can
help you make informed decisions and uphold value judgments in other aspects of life.
12. Using symbols. Learning to read, write and interpret musical notation strengthens one’s
abilities in other symbol system interpretation.

Concert to Benefit Strings Music Program held November 14

Cellist, Karla Hamelin performed at a fundraising concert for the Ambleside string program. The Concert to Benefit Strings was followed by a reception. The event was a great success and we are thankful for Ms. Hamelin's time and beautiful performance.