String Academy receives 3-year grant of $345,000

The IU School of Music received its second donation from the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation last week, which will provide a three-year grant of $345,000 to further the development of the IU String Academy. \nThe School of Music consists of 140 well-renowned teachers and scholars who have undoubtedly provided the basis for IU's four-time ranking by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 1 music school in the nation. Admission to the school is particularly selective, with 1,400 students from the United States and 35 foreign countries studying at the school each year.\nThe previous donation of $1.5 million by the Starling Foundation was received in 1996 in order to launch the first chair in violin studies. Frank M. Starling began the foundation in 1969 in honor of his late wife Dorothy, a professional violinist. The goal of the organization is to give exceptional violin students a chance to take advantage of their capabilities and improve upon their skills. \nThe grant will be used to improve and advance the growth of the IU String Academy, which currently trains students in violin, viola, cello and double bass. Instructors encourage both individual and group sessions for children ages five to 18. Theory and master classes, chamber music and performance opportunities are also essential parts of the academy's curriculum, according to the department's Web site. \n"We are very grateful to the Starling Foundation for honoring the String Academy and recognizing the value of music instruction in a child's early development," said Mimi Zweig, director of the String Academy and IU viola and violin professor. Zweig has developed children's string programs throughout the United States since 1972. \n"(The donation) is absolutely wonderful," Director of Cello Susan Moses said. "Playing string instruments in the pre-college age is the best way to advance in musical ability."\nInstructors of the academy said they stand by their belief that the first years of practice are the most essential, because they set the standard of the performer's future abilities. Zweig, along with two of her fellow faculty members, Hidetaro Suzuki and Paul Roland, have created a curriculum that implements their own theories and methods of teaching to ensure a well-defined learning experience. Their precise techniques provide their students with technical ease and musical sensitivity. Students usually attend lessons weekly and parents are advised to encourage regular practice at home. \nStudents with exceptional abilities or a large drive to play professionally often express desire to be a member of the Violin Virtuosi, the most prestigious group of the IU String Academy. The group consists of 20 violinists between the ages of 10 and 18.\nMembers of the Violin Virtuosi have won many awards for their talent as an ensemble and individually. This summer, the Virtuosi will perform in "Kids Play for Kids," a benefit concert for a children's group of violinists in Harlem, New York, who are coping with financial issues from the aftermath of Sept. 11. \n"Our students wanted to do something to help string players in Harlem continue their instrumental studies and decided a difference could be made in the lives of these young people by performing a benefit concert," Zweig said. "It's our hope that whether a child develops into a professional musician or goes on to pursue another career, he or she will take with them a love and understanding of music developed over many years of study"