‘Music is for everyone’: UNK String Project inspires young performers, future teachers
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KEARNEY – University of Nebraska at Kearney senior Abbygail Marshall sat down at a piano inside the Fine Arts Building on campus.
“I’m your metronome, so listen to me,” she told a dozen young musicians gathered in the rehearsal space.
UNK junior Noah Reimer stood beside her, ready to guide the elementary students through a performance of “Five Note Fiddler.”
“1, 2. 1, 2. Beginning. Go,” Marshall said before the small ensemble started to play.
With Reimer co-leading on the violin, Marshall provided feedback and instructions as the group worked through the piece.
“We have a wide variety of personalities and different skill levels in this room,” Marshall said. “That’s something I really enjoy. It’s fun to create a class where you have to mesh those personalities and skill levels together and find a middle ground that works for everybody. It’s just challenging in that way, the teaching aspect of it.”
Marshall, Reimer and two other undergraduate students are teachers for the UNK String Project, which provides high-quality, low-cost music instruction for Kearney-area youths in grades 3-12.
Part of the National String Project Consortium, which includes about 40 institutions across the country, the UNK program was launched in 2008 to improve access to music education in central Nebraska and inspire a lifelong passion for music among participants. About 30 students, most in elementary or middle school, are taking classes this semester.
“Music education is important because it teaches kids about a different aspect of life and gives them something to work toward that’s not regular schoolwork or sports. It makes them more well-rounded as they grow up,” Reimer said. “Even if they don’t pursue music professionally, it’s still a good thing to have in your life.”
SHARING JOY
A music performance major from Bellevue, Reimer started taking lessons at age 3, learning alongside his mother. Now, he plays the violin and cello, teaches private lessons at Yandas Music in downtown Kearney and performs with the Kearney Symphony Orchestra, Kearney Chamber Orchestra, Hastings Symphony Orchestra and Thornton String Quartet, a select UNK student ensemble.
He’s been part of the UNK String Project since 2022.
“I started teaching private lessons when I was in high school, and I enjoyed that. When I came here, Dr. Rogoff asked about teaching in the classroom, which I’d never done before, so I wanted that experience,” said Reimer, who won the UNK Concerto/Aria Competition in 2023. “I just want to be able to share music with as many people as I can.”
The UNK String Project offers beginning, intermediate and advanced instruction in viola, bass, cello and violin, with classes meeting twice a week on campus. The cost is just $50 per semester – and instruments can be rented from UNK if a student doesn’t own one – so it’s an affordable option for most families.
“That’s been important to us,” said UNK music professor Noah Rogoff. “Musical talent is not limited to any particular group of people. It exists in everybody, everywhere. In order to maximize the potential of that talent, we want to make it as accessible as possible.”
As director of the UNK String Project, Rogoff teaches classes and mentors the UNK student instructors, who receive a stipend for their work. He also organizes the end-of-semester concerts showcasing program participants and plans an end-of-the-year party.
“My favorite part is the joy and energy and excitement that the students bring every single day when we see them,” said Rogoff, who served as chair of the National String Project Consortium Board the past two years. “They always have a way to surprise you and make you feel the same joy that they feel. It’s really a virtuous circle where we inspire each other.”
OPENING DOORS
In addition to inspiring and training young musicians, the UNK String Project supports the next generation of music educators. Although teaching positions are available for any UNK student with a background in string instruments, most of them are studying either music education or music performance.
“There’s nothing else like this in terms of giving undergraduates a chance to do hands-on teaching as early as their freshman year,” Rogoff said. “By the time they’re student teaching or going out into the profession, they feel really comfortable in the classroom and they feel comfortable directing an ensemble in a concert because they’ve had those experiences for a number of years already.”
A music education major, Marshall is in her fourth year as an instructor for the UNK String Project and third year as the head teacher. She calls it her “pre-experience,” an opportunity to work directly with students and gain valuable insights before her professional career begins.
“I think it’s really fun, too,” she said. “I enjoy the kids and getting to teach them the instruments that I play.”
The North Platte native has always loved music. She began playing the piano at age 7 and violin at age 10. Orchestra and band were “always the best part of the day,” according to Marshall, who decided to pursue music education so she could share that passion with others.
“Music can be an emotional outlet for students or an escape from their everyday routine,” she said. “It also opens the door to the world. We study different cultures and different historical eras through music without even realizing that we’re doing it.”
Marshall has been part of the Thornton String Quartet, Symphonic Band and Kearney Symphony Orchestra during her time at UNK, and she’s currently student teaching at Kearney Public Schools. She’ll start her professional career as an elementary music teacher at KPS next fall.
“I hope to lead generations of children into having a love and appreciation for music in all aspects,” Marshall said. “I hope to open doors to things that they did not know were possible, whether that be other cultures, future career paths or just a deep emotional connection to music.
“Music is for everyone; they don't need to master an instrument to be part of it.”
For more information on the UNK String Project, contact Rogoff at 308-865-8619 or [email protected].
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