All students are capable of playing a stringed instrument regardless of "talent" or musical background, a concept that in the past was often considered critical for success in strings.
	Unlike many other musical instruments, each stringed instrument comes in a variety of sizes, so that children as young as three years old can play successfully.
	Orchestral music, which is considered one of Western culture's greatest legacies, requires a string section.
	Music for stringed instruments exists in most cultures around the world.  Knowing just the basics opens doors to multi-cultural music from jazz, country, pop and mariachi to music from across the centuries.
	As the population of the United States becomes more culturally diverse, contemporary music genres increasingly rely on the playing of stringed instruments.  For example, contemporary popular Tejano music uses the violin and guitar extensively.
	Music for stringed instruments can be played by a single player, a duo, a quartet, or by an ensemble of over one hundred.  The social reward of belonging to a community of string musician is incredibly motivating and fulfilling.
	There are numerous professional and community opportunities to play stringed instruments beyond high school and for many people it becomes a lifelong avocation.
	Often college applicants who play stringed instruments enjoy scholarships and other special considerations, regardless of their intended academic major.

	A community ultimately benefits from a larger number of string students and performers.  Businesses often look to the cultural climate of a community when making decisions about where to locate.  Family relocation decisions are often based on the cultural opportunities a community and its school district offer.
	A good string and orchestra education, located within a comprehensive music program, is a hallmark of a fine school district.  Without a string program, students in a school band (woodwind, brass, and percussionists) cannot perform the orchestral and choral masterworks as they are intended to be performed.
	A school orchestra provides string instruction to all interested students, not just those who can afford private study outside of school.
	In every school, there are students who are instinctively attracted to the sound of stringed instruments.  No other form of musical performance speaks to them with the same intensity.  Without a string and orchestra program to provide access to string students are denied the possibility of realizing their potential - an opportunity perhaps lost their entire lives.

The American String Teachers Association with National School Orchestra Association is the professional membership association for string and orchestra teachers and players.  ASTA with NSOA has information and resources that can help your school district and community start or grow a string and orchestra program.  please look on our web site at www.astaweb.com, contact us at 703-476-1316 or 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, suite 300, Reston, VA 20191.