Sacramento State?s Music Department was recently awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant to offer low-cost string instruction to Sacramento-area children, making it the only university in California to receive the award.

The grant will provide $10,000 a year for the next five years to the CSUS String Project and will also cover costs to provide teaching experience to music education majors.

The students that may participate in the program must be between the ages 9 to 11 years old and must attend an informational meeting with their parents. Students will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.

Not only will this program benefit the children of Sacramento but it will also serve as an internship for four Sacramento State students majoring in music, said project coordinator Thomas Tatten. The four students who have been chosen will have the opportunity to get trained in teaching music to school children and see how well they enjoy it, he said.

By working with and teaching the children, students will get valuable experience, said Music Department Chair Ernie Hills.

“This grant provides wonderful experience for (Sac State) strings majors the opportunity to have hands on teaching,” Hills said.

Cello Professor Andrew Luchansky wrote and received the grant through the American String Teachers Association, based near Washington D.C. Of the 85 universities that applied, only 15 were granted the funding.

Luchansky said the primary factor taken into consideration to receive the grant was the quality of the universities? string faculty. He said Sac State?s string faculty is regarded as the best in California.

Hills said receiving the funding is a direct outcome of the hard work of the department?s faculty members.

“Receiving this grant was a distinct honor and recognition of the efforts of our faculty to provide outreach programs,” Hills said.

Tatton, an instructor with more than 20 years experience teaching string instruments in public schools, was brought to Sac State to coordinate the project. He has been credited with several distinct honors in the music society, as well as leading California in a statewide effort to promote music in schools.

Tatton hopes to help the students become great teachers who are able to organize classes and deal with issues on student learning.”That’s what this grant is all about,” Tatton said.

The turnout for the program has been very positive with about 60 students and parents expressing interest in the program, Tatton said. He has also been providing school demonstrations and recruiting students.

Hills believes the program will also help promote the idea to Sacramento that string instruction at the elementary school level is important.

The grant will allow the CSUS String Project to run for five years and provide the opportunity to many Sacramento area children to improve their performances.