Project Grant

This CMAB Program Outcome will provide many outcomes related to, but not limited to: 1. Increasing access to fine arts programming and performing during the "off season" of the summer months while schools are out of session. 2. Increasing support for additional learning of instruments, ensemble skills, musical fundamentals and techniques, musicianship, and artistic mastery. 3. Increasing a sense of community within the ensemble of musicians, both amongst the players, but also the mentor players and the directors. There is also a social-emotional learning component that feeds into the sense of community that is built over an entire summer session...and even over years of membership. These outcomes can be measured by also including a pre-survey as the summer session kicks off. We can look for areas of growth in all of these areas and see if we need to find additional support systems throughout the summer session. In addition to formal surveys, we are always engaging in conversational feedback, doing various formative assessments, and refining the needs of the ensemble as a whole in order to keep progressing towards our final concert. We also believe that the musicians who participate in the Monticello Community Strings Orchestra will not only increase their ability, technique, and musicianship as a direct result from our summer program and the mentorship staff, but will also increase their personal confidence levels in their pathway towards mastery on their instrument and ensemble-playing skills. Due to the more informal weekly rehearsal set-up, participants are also more likely to contribute in both musical feedback and socially with their ensemble peers, thus growing a greater sense of teamwork and personal identity. Families of the students musicians, in particular, are also appreciative of the special friendships and connections that are formed by their students over the summer months. We will ask participants to fill out an "end-of-course" google survey asking a multitude of questions about their experience with the Monticello Community Strings Orchestra summer session. We then format all of their responses into a numeric feedback rating form and look at what worked and what needed improving upon for our next summer session. We had a bit of difficulty getting everyone to take the survey this past summer, even with the Google Survey format, so we are planning to take time during one of our final rehearsals or at the final concert for musicians to reflect and respond to the survey. We have attached a sample of a survey that we used at this past summer's session.