Viola with Adriana D.

Kidznotes

Kidznotes changes the life trajectories of underserved children through free orchestral music instruction. We serve approximately 400 public school students in grades Pre-K – 12. We partner with eight Title I elementary schools (see list of Partner Schools below) in Raleigh and Durham. The racial composition of students in our partner schools is approximately 50.67% African American, 34.74% Hispanic and 14.59% Other – representing a diversity not traditional to classical music and orchestras. As a targeted initiative aiming to change the face of poverty in Durham and Raleigh, all enrolled Kidznotes students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Durham and Southeast Raleigh, where our partner schools are located, confront the poverty-based reality of neighborhoods in which children’s futures are compromised even before they arrive at the schoolhouse door. As extensive research has shown, children from low-income communities often lack the social, emotional and intellectual skills necessary to start kindergarten on equal footing with their more affluent peers. By the third grade, so many have been unable to master basic reading and math skills that their fortunes seem predetermined. And yet, through immersion in ensembles and orchestras, children can develop the social skills identified by the SEARCH Institute as being critical for success in school and adulthood. These skills include accountability, mutual respect, teamwork, intrinsic motivation, critical listening, discipline, focus and attention. Kidznotes fosters these skills by setting high expectations for children while simultaneously inviting them to serve others and to participate in creative, meaningful activities.

Duke University