LOWELL — Nicole Parks knows the value of music education. As the new director of UMass Lowell’s String Project, she wants to share the experience of learning — and teaching — music to as many people as possible.
Founded at the university in 2001, the String Project is a music program for K-12 public school students from the Merrimack Valley who might not otherwise have a chance to learn to play classical stringed instruments or perform on stage. UMass Lowell music students serve as teaching artists in the program, mentoring young musicians and conducting performance ensembles.
Participants typically perform two concerts a year for family, friends and the public.
The program’s holiday concert, a free performance for the community, will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 19, at UMass Lowell’s Comley-Lane Theater inside Mahoney Hall, 870 Broadway St., on the university’s South Campus. Free parking will be available next to the venue in the Broadway/Riverview Lot.
A faculty member in UMass Lowell’s music department, Parks took over as String Project director in September. A violinist, she teaches violin and viola and leads conducting courses. She also conducts UMass Lowell’s University Orchestra. Learning music as a child made a lasting impression, and with arts education being squeezed out of public schools, she believes the String Project’s mission is more important than ever.
“Programs like this are absolutely imperative for a thriving education for children,” she said. “We hope to fill in that gap for as many students as we can and offer an education that can apply to other parts of their lives as well. If you’re learning music, you’re not just learning about the mechanics of putting a violin on your shoulder or what the notes are; it’s collaboration, listening skills, deciphering what you read on sheet music into a concept that you then try to translate into a sound, and being able to collaborate and work with your peers. Students pick up on these things really quickly in music classes, which can be transferred to their other educational pursuits.”
Participants enrolled in the String Project meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings each semester and are grouped into a variety of different ensembles, which are led by UMass Lowell music students.
Parks sees great value in the paid teaching experience UMass Lowell students receive as instructors in the program. “Most music majors will be teaching at some point in their careers, and this gives them hands-on experience that they can use to apply for jobs when they graduate,” she said.
Over time, Parks hopes to expand the range of learners and educators participating in the String Project by allowing other UMass Lowell students, who are not music majors, to become instructors. Another goal is to launch an adult beginner class for students on campus and members of the Greater Lowell area who are interested in picking up violin, viola or cello.
“Growing the program would be a wonderful thing for everyone,” she said. “With such a huge presence in the local community, UMass Lowell is in a unique place where we can offer that kind of experience to public school students at a very low fee. In doing so, we can hopefully engage students who otherwise wouldn’t have access to this outside their schools. I would love to work more alongside the public schools to figure out what their teachers are looking for and how we can collaborate.”
Since its founding at UMass Lowell, the String Project has helped educate thousands of young people, provided UMass Lowell students with valuable teaching experience and garnered national acclaim from the American String Teachers Association and National String Project Consortium. The program is a member of the consortium, along with more than 40 other String Projects at colleges and universities across the country.
