Strings Attached! Lander Elementary School Students Gain Access to Orchestral Instruments

Elementary school students in Lander, Wyoming, lack opportunities for exposure to orchestral music. When students reach middle school, they have the opportunity to participate in band, but no orchestral instruments are provided. While some families have a relative who plays orchestral or have the financial resources pay for expensive instruments and lessons, many do not. A retired music teacher in Lander came up with a way to bridge this gap and reached out to LOR for help launching a new program for Lander’s elementary students through the Fremont Symphony Orchestra. The new program will include school visits by traveling groups and local professional musicians before concerts as well as a musical “petting zoo” that will give students up-close exposure to orchestral instruments by letting them try stringed instruments. LOR’s funding will help with the purchase of several stringed instruments and also to cover the costs of traveling musicians who come to perform in Lander.