Project Harmony Students Report Feeling Confident, Excited, and Welcome
Project Harmony, a community-based orchestra outreach program for students in grades 2-5, has a ten-year history of providing access to outstanding arts education plus all the benefits it brings.
A partnership between Arts+ and the Charlotte Symphony (CSO), Project Harmony helps students develop lifelong skills, teaching them to be confident in their abilities, excited to learn, and willing to work with others.
Each week, students learn in a variety of ways, beginning their lessons with listening activities and warm-ups before splitting into strings and winds groups to learn instrument-specific skills. The first half of the school year culminates in a Project Harmony “informance,” an informal performance for students to demonstrate basic music and instrumental skills, showcase what they’ve learned, and prepare them for a larger concert at the end of the school year. Project Harmony ends their annual program with a performance featuring students from all three locations on a stage before a large audience. All of these performances are student-led, putting students at the forefront of their learning experience.
This year, 74.7% of students reported feeling "very confident" in their ability to play their instrument. When asked to circle words and phrases that described how Project Harmony made them feel, 79.5% indicated they were “proud of themselves,” with another 62.7% indicating they were “wanting to learn more” and another 61.4% indicating they were “excited."
Additionally, many students wrote that Project Harmony made them feel “welcome,” and that the program “helped [them] feel like I belong in an orchestra,” showing a sense of community and wealth of support from other students. Almost 75% of students surveyed said that they made “new friends” by participating in Project Harmony, showing how welcoming and supportive everyone is lends largely to the comfort and support of our students when learning to play an instrument.
Arts+ is grateful for these partners that make Project Harmony possible: Charlotte Symphony, Arts and Science Council, D'Addario Foundation, Brungard Family Foundation, and Brighthouse Financial Foundation.