Education Program

Educating audiences has always been a priority at New Century, both in concert halls and in schools. For years, the NCCO has offered intimate classroom performances by string quartets to third, fourth, and fifth grade students in many of the communities where the orchestra performs.  These classroom concerts and discussions have introduced hundreds of students to the basics of the study of music, the family of string instruments, and the great composers.  The NCCO enjoys strong collaborative partnerships with a group of schools that we have visited for a decade or more.

Fall of 2006, the NCCO began to bring the joy of music making to a small group of third and fourth grade students at two schools in Marin City and in San Rafael’s Canal District that do not have instrumental music programs.  New Century provides each of the students free violin lessons every week throughout the academic year and free use of a violin. 

Due to increased funding from the Marin Community Foundation, we have been able to extend our music instruction program to include summer violin lessons in July and August.  In September, we will include fifth grade students in the program as well.

Students at the Bayside School in Marin City and San Pedro School in the Canal District are from a different world.  Although they reside in affluent Marin County, many of the students are from the immigrant community.  They would not have access to instrumental music were it not for the NCCO’s efforts.

NCCO music education programs are generously supported by the Marin Community Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, the Nina P. Brandt Fund, The Kimball Foundation, and Autodesk, Inc.

Your support is welcomed.  Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation in support of our education programs or click here to contact the NCCO for further information.