In a post Thursday (4/30) on the Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) website, Amanda Warford writes, “The Jump Start Strings program, which is a collaboration between the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Communities in Schools (a dropout prevention program), gives young students at three area elementary schools the opportunity to experience music in a new approach to learning. And, according to Communities in Schools, it’s paying off. Of the students involved, Pickett Elementary shows a 78% improvement in attendance and 67% improvement in grades, 54% in attendance and 58% in grades at Reynolds Lane Elementary, and 79% in attendance and 60% in grades at Woodland Acres Elementary.” The complete post and the accompanying video, including comments by Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra violinist and Jump Start Strings instructor Colin Kiely, can be found here .
Posted May 5, 2009
