Seeking string instrument donations
Give to the deserving musicians of El Verano Elementary!
With your help, the El Sistema-inspired Valley Vibes Orchestras program is expanding.
We currently have a waiting list of over 40 El Verano Elementary children in Sonoma, and we hope to shortly form a second youth orchestra at the elementary school with 20 of these kids. Your donation of a used violin, viola, or cello (of any size) will help enable us to reach more kids and double our impact.
Each young musician at El Verano dedicates 10 hours of after school time per week to the orchestra. They are working hard to master the fundamentals of their instrument, play together as an ensemble, and give back to the community through frequent concerts.
Do you have an instrument you would like to donate? Please drop it off at the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (17878 Railroad Ave, Sonoma) M-F between the hours of 9am and 4pm (please include a note with your name and contact information) or call Anne Case at (425) 773-3408 or (707) 939-5519 for pickup.
Thank you, and please share to spread the word!!
About us:
Valley Vibes Orchestras is a youth development initiative that uses music to help create skilled and community-oriented youth and young adults. It is a long-term, high-intensity program that invests in young children and engages them in orchestral performance through the time they graduate high school. A program of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, Valley Vibes Orchestras launched its first program at El Verano Elementary in February. Twenty-three children are now learning the violin, viola, or cello in orchestra and sectional classes, and they are performing frequent concerts for the community. Children rehearse weekdays for two hours after school and also attend a summer program. Families pay $35 per child to participate, a fee that can be waived.
Inspiration:
Valley Vibes Orchestras is inspired by the world-renowned “El Sistema” music network of Venezuela, which engages hundreds of thousands of underserved youth each year through intensive orchestra programs. El Sistema was founded in 1975 by Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu and exists primarily as social development program. It is estimated that over two million children have participated in El Sistema since its founding. In recent years, it has caught the world on fire with Gustavo Dudamel, the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, and a mission of social change, inspiring similar orchestra music education programs all over the globe, with more than 50 programs in the US currently a part of the El Sistema movement.
Photo above by Paul Bunting. Photo below by Emily Hawing. Thanks to both!!