Strings for Kids was started by Mary Kay Hoffman, Cecilia Berger, and Anna Wetherby at Artspace Community Arts Center in Greenfield in 2008, and is now a partnership program between the Greenfield Public Schools and the Pioneer Valley Symphony. The goal of Strings for Kids is to ensure that EVERY child in Greenfield has the opportunity to learn to play a string instrument. The program starts with a summer workshop week or fall weekend intensive, then two weekly lessons during the school year: once before or after school at each of the three elementary schools and Greenfield Middle School, and a Sunday afternoon session which brings together all participating students from all schools on Sunday afternoons. To make the program accessible to all, tuition is subsidized by GPS and is offered on a sliding scale, with additional financial assistance available when needed. Instrument rental is included in the Strings for Kids program at no additional cost to the student. 

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Through Strings for Kids, hundreds of students have learned cello and violin.

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There are many benefits of Strings For Kids.

• We have made it a primary goal to be a steady force in the lives of our students and provide stability and continuity through whatever life throws at us/them.

• We address societal concerns with our students, having gone through challenging times together and explored what it looks like to think, be, and learn as a musician and an appreciator of other musicians.

• We work to expand our students' musical horizons in all kinds of ways, talking about difficult parts of history, and helping them to discover music and musicians they may not otherwise learn about.

• We build community among our young musicians and see that our students come together and support each other in remarkable ways.