Here’s just a few of the many reasons why I wrote the String Sprouts curriculum!
If you would like more information about how to start your own String Sprouts program or register for String Sprouts teacher training courses, click the button below!

About String Sprouts

In 2013, the Omaha Conservatory of Music launched an innovative new program called String Sprouts aimed at creating equitable access to the arts for young children growing up in under-resourced areas. The curriculum, authored by Ruth Meints, is based on foundational tenets from both the Suzuki and the El Sistema philosophies. Children enroll in the program at 3 and 4-year-old and caregiver involvement is mandatory. Instruments are provided for each student at no cost to the families for all five years of the program.

The group class lessons are held exclusively in under-served areas. It’s a community-wide initiative to give all children the opportunity to learn a stringed instrument with a ready-to-use curriculum and engaging new repertoire by composer Dryden Meints.

In 2020, the Omaha Conservatory’s String Sprouts program enrolled over 1,300 children and continues to grow. Program evaluation has shown positive results in improving school-readiness skills and developing stronger family relationships. As the famous cellist Pablo Casals once said, “Music will save the world.” String Sprouts is an extraordinary journey that moves the world one step closer to making this dream a reality. www.stringsprouts.org.

Testimonials and Outreach

Hear from a graduate of the String Sprouts program!

Grace and her mom tell about their experience in cello String Sprouts.

Musical Seedlings: Classically trained musicians from the Omaha Conservatory of Music teach 3-6-year-olds to play the violin as part of as part of a groundbreaking free afterschool program unique to Nebraska that targets underserved communities in an effort to bolster early childhood education and foster a love for the arts.