Children who learn to play musical instruments excel in countless ways -- during childhood and throughout their lives. In the fall of 2007, the BSO partnered with Putnam County Schools to launch a pilot strings education program in two area elementary schools, Capshaw and Baxter.
Third and fourth graders in those schools learn to play violin and cello through the new "No Strings Attached" program, which builds upon the work of music education specialist Clarissa Miller, a member of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra Association Board. In June 2008, the inaugural Summer String Academy was held for 43 local schoolchildren. Students played violin and cello and worked on their music theory skills with professional symphony musicians Wei Tsun Chang, Seanad Chang and Kirsten Cassel, as well as PCS music teachers Michael Choate, Nicole Brim and Clarissa Miller.
