The coronavirus has impacted a lot of activities at Mandela, but like everything else, the team figured out a virtual option. Families were able to enjoy their scholar’s first violin concert of the year by tuning in live on Facebook. The videos are available at: https://www.facebook.com/NelsonMandelaElementary. The scholars worked extremely hard to prepare for the concerts, and they were so excited to share their music with their families and the community.
Scholars at Mandela play violin through the program String Sprouts, offered by the Omaha Conservatory of Music. Created by executive director Ruth Meints in 2013, Violin String Sprouts offers free violin classes to children ages 3-8 in underserved areas in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area. Fifth grade scholars who completed their Sprouts curriculum last year were given the option to participate in orchestra or vocal music this year.
The String Sprouts curriculum was created specifically for kids. It uses unique compositions that are meant to keep kids excited to learn while also practicing basic music drills. There are play-along orchestrations, accompaniments, and videos to help with practice as well as variations that were created specifically for practice during the school day.
Jessica Davis, an Omaha Conservatory of Music Artist-Faculty member, is the String Sprouts teacher at Nelson Mandela Elementary.