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in front of the state capitol Madison, WI May, 2004 The Chambers School Suzuki program was founded in January, 2001 by Michele Higa George and M. Diane Slone. Chambers was identified by George, then director of the Sato Center of Suzuki Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), and Eleanor Holt, then Directory of Perparatory and Continuing Education at CIM. Chambers was chosen because of the dedication of the faculty and administrative staff to the children of that community, and their belief in the possibilities for those children. East Cleveland, Ohio, is an inner-suburb of Cleveland. More than 38% of its population lives below the poverty line, and our entire school qualifies for the federal Healthy Start program, which provides daily free breakfast and lunch to students. Beginning in 2001, each year, we begin up to 20 kindergarten students and their parents in the study of violin. Individual lessons, 15 minutes in length, are held one time each week during the school day. Parents come to the school, meet their child at the classroom, and come to violin together. Parents learn the fundamentals of violin playing in advance of their children in order to be confident home teachers. Students also have a group lesson one time each week. Kindergarten and first grade group classes are also held during the school day. Group classes for the older students are held after school, and include a reading group as the students are ready. On group day, students stay after school, doing homework before and after their group class so that they can participate in violin and still achieve in their schoolwork. In addition to weekly lessons and daily at home practice with their children, parents participate in monthly parent meetings. These meetings are a combination of further education in Suzuki philosophy, a time for parents to work together on their violin skills without the "help" of their children, and a wonderful opportunity for parents to support one another. East Cleveland Suzuki Strings receives support for our kindergarten program in the form of a federal 21st Century Learning Centers Grant. This grant provides funds for lessons and supplies for our kindergarteners. We have been informed that we will also receive a 21st Century grant to fund half of the individual lessons for our continuing students (1st-4th graders) for 2004-2005. The remaining funds come in the form of grants and individual donations. Participating families pay a fee each September, which provides one set of strings for each child during the year. We also engage in fundraising, such as our 2004-2005 calendar, which assists in providing other necessary supplies. In January, 2005, we are excited to add a new facet to our program. 5 OLDER siblings of our current students have begun to study CELLO! These students are 5th or 6th graders whose siblings are in 2nd-4th grades. The older children were "too old" when our program started, as we only begin kindergarteners at Chambers. We are very excited to be able to offer this opportunity to these very special older siblings!