Become a Sprout
Become a Sprout
About

Expanding Access to Musical Excellence

What Sprouts Is All About

String Sprouts is a revolutionary program providing curriculum and materials for five years of early childhood music education classes. Caregivers can enroll their children as young as age three. The Sprouts curriculum consists of five books across four instruments: violin, viola, cello, and bass. Students begin with level one of their chosen instrument, then advance to the next level each school year. String Sprouts programs can be funded through tuition or local philanthropy. In a school setting, funding can come from philanthropic efforts or school budgets.

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Omaha Grown

This revolutionary music education program was created by Ruth Meints, executive director of the Omaha Conservatory of Music. It began as Violin Sprouts in 2013 and grew into Cello Sprouts, Viola Sprouts, and Bass Sprouts. In 2019, the program coalesced into String Sprouts and continued to provide lessons, instruments, curriculum, and materials to Sprouts classes in Omaha, Council Bluffs, Scottsbluff, and Kansas City, Missouri. Now, we’re expanding our reach across the country!

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Music Matters

String Sprouts was founded with two goals in mind.

  1. Provide access to high-quality beginning music education for anyone. We’re strong believers in the power of music to change lives and transform communities.
  2. Bridge the academic ability gap for young students through music education. Studies show early childhood music education bolsters verbal and mathematical skills, increases hand-eye coordination, and strengthens social skills alongside a host of other benefits!

Planting the Seeds of Success

String Sprouts sets children up for academic success.*

String Sprouts helps kids build academic skills (letters, numbers, comparisons) and executive function (attention, emotion regulation, planning, working memory). UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute evaluations show a strong correlation between music skills and:

  • Phonological awareness
  • Working memory
  • Vocabulary
  • Math

37%

Above average academic skills

14%

Above average executive function skills

String Sprouts positively affects families.*

String Sprouts positively affects parent-child relationships by decreasing conflict ratings and significantly increasing parent-child closeness. Through your five years with String Sprouts, you and your kiddo will bond, learn, and grow alongside each other.

Early childhood music education has been shown to:

  • Improve classroom behavior
  • Extend attention span
  • Strengthen motor skills and hand-eye coordination
  • Give kids a jump-start on academic subjects, including math, language, and science

String Sprouts improves vocabulary.*

In addition to showing significant measured increases in the technical skills required to play a string instrument, student vocabularies significantly improved with participation in String Sprouts.

12%

Above average vocabulary

*Source: 2015-16 program evaluation by UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute

FAQ

Here are some answers to common questions about String Sprouts. If you don’t see your question below, please send a message to stringsprouts@omahacm.org.

  • Why should I become a member?

    String Sprouts is an easy-to-use curriculum that anyone can implement to begin a child’s strings education. Whether you’re a teacher wanting to start a program in your area, a parent looking to expand your homeschool offerings, or an organization eager to build a stellar music education program, String Sprouts can help you reach your goal!

  • What do I get when I become a member?

    A String Sprouts online membership bundle includes a full year of access to our library of play-along video and audio files, as well as a student workbook. (Online access and materials can also be purchased separately.)

  • How can I use String Sprouts?

    Families
    Giving your kids a musical head start is easy with the String Sprouts program, even if your musical knowledge is very limited. Prepare to be amazed at how well our program sets you up to teach your littles how to start playing a stringed instrument. You’ll learn right along with them!

    Teachers and Early Childhood Educators
    Starting a String Sprouts class in your area brings the community together and provides musical education to people who may not have another place to find it. If you’re proficient on a stringed instrument and want to share your love of music with young kids, consider being trained as a Sprouts teacher! Pre-K and grade school music teachers can also implement Sprouts classes that meet during the school day. The String Sprouts curriculum also functions as a truly exceptional pre-twinkle group class curriculum for Suzuki teachers.

    Homeschool Parents
    String Sprouts makes it easy to teach multiple children at the same time. You only need one membership to teach multiple kiddos the same instrument at the same level!

  • How do memberships work?

    Annual membership bundles give you one year of online access to materials and a physical workbook that’s yours to keep. Just choose your instrument and follow the step-by-step progressions that guide you through the skills, one level at a time. Learn more about becoming a member here!

Plant the seed for musical education today.

Become a Member