Ithaca College

The SOAR (Strings Off And Running) program, hosted at St. Mary’s School in Cortland,  serves as the lab school setting for Junior string education majors at Ithaca College.  SOAR was recently awarded $1800 in grants for the "Pre-K Experience" Program. 

Grants were awarded through the National String Project Consortium, the American String Teachers Association, the NY-American String Teachers Association and Mu Phi Epsilon, professional music fraternity. The grant dollars will be used to purchase 8 small violins and a small cello for the program, introducing pre-school aged children to play a stringed instrument. 

The SOAR program is directed by Julie Along Carr, lecturer for the School of Music, and currently provides string instruction to over 60 students grades K-6.  IC graduate Jeannine McGreevy also serves as a master teacher in the program.