WEST CHICAGO STRING CONNECTION
WEST CHICAGO STRING CONNECTION
Bringing the Community together to make Music and Friends
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PLAYING
GREAT MUSIC
MAKING NEW
FRIENDS
WHAT WE DO
EDUCATION
Starting at
Early Childhood
VOCATION
Training the
Teachers of Tomorrow
OUR STORY
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WHERE WE'VE BEEN
WHERE WE ARE
In partnership with District 94 Community High School in West Chicago we will continue to work with students already in the West Chicago String Connection classes. In addition, we will add new classes of preschool and early elementary students who will participate in the teacher training initiative. Each new
student will be paired with a highly qualified high school violinist who will be their tutor. The high school students will work under the supervision of the master teachers of the program. It’s an exciting
time of new growth and of extending our reach into the West Chicago community. The group will
perform a series of concerts throughout the area. These concerts will enrich the cultural life of the town
and help the parents of young children know the group exists and educate them on how to participate.
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WHERE WE ARE HEADED
The focus of the vocational training is to create a faculty of local highly trained violinists who are equipped to run a West Chicago string academy. The vocational training offered now will include courses in fund raising and administration. The model for the music academy is to offer a sliding scale tuition which is enhanced with support from grants and individual donors, making the school self-sustaining. The school will be unique in being community driven, bilingual, local, affordable and high-quality. The academy will also be a hub for alumni of the program to perform music together in a community chamber orchestra, further enhancing the musical life of the area and especially the ears of
the young students who will hear fine music played by their neighbors and friends.
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Over a decade ago a unique music outreach was started in the West Chicago Community. Early
childhood teachers provided music lessons in preschool classes in this underserved community and found young children with musical
aptitude. These children were invited to participate in a violin program and given lessons, instruments and training for their parents cost-free. This initiative continued for the next decade and the most advanced students are now playing major concerti. This program was started by the Community School of the Arts (Wheaton College) as a sister group, performing together in semi-annual concerts. The West Chicago violin group has newly partnered with District 94 Community High School to continue the fine work and most importantly to add a new vocational track which will teach these highly trained violinists to become the violin teachers of the future.
All Videos
All Videos
El Jarabe Tapatio
La Folia
Variations
Cielito Lindo
Mozart to Mariachi
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El Jarabe Tapatis
La Folia/Corelli
Variations
Cielito Lindo
