Stamell Stringed Instrument's Donation Projects

During the past year, Stamell Stringed Instruments has become involved in several projects that bring music education to children in under-privileged areas, both locally and abroad.  The program's focus on community development and furthering children’s opportunities to study music, many of whom have never seen a violin or a cello before.

In July, we contributed over a dozen instruments including violins, violas, and cellos of all sizes to the Hope On A String Foundation, which provides music education to children living in the aftermath of the earthquake-stricken region of Haiti. Hope On A String is a non-profit organization whose long-term goal seeks to foster social change and economic development through participation in music programs. Music being a deeply engrained aspect of Haitian culture as a means of unifying communities and providing an outlet for personal and social healing, this program is designed for the environment in which it is established, creating a safe place where children and their families can come together to learn and to re-build their ties to each other.

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More recently, we donated several more instruments to a local program based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a branch of Berkshire Children & Families (BCF), called Kids 4 Harmony. This community outreach program at the Morningside School supplies a rapidly growing number of elementary school students with stringed instruments, on which they are able to study classical music in an after-school strings ensemble. The children participate five days a week for more than two hours a day in this intensive program, geared towards the fun-loving energy of children. This year, the Kids 4 Harmony program has more than doubled in size to over 100 children and their families being involved in the project. Stamell Strings offers its sincere congratulations to Kids 4 Harmony on its success! We are thrilled to be a part of this and other wonderful organizations of its kind.

Our next donation candidate is one that brings stringed instrument education to under-privileged communities in Costa Rica. More information to follow as we make preparations for our next contribution to this project.

If you or someone you know has an instrument you would like to donate to a child or an adult in one of these programs, please do not hesitate to bring it by the store. We will be happy to look it over and let you know if we think it can be used somewhere!

-Molly Stamell

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