Fifth Grade String Program

In collaboration with the Bellingham Schools Foundation, the Bellingham Music Coalition, the Bellingham Public Schools, the Bellingham Band Boosters, and the Bellingham Alumni Band, the Bellingham Festival of Music helped fund and relaunch the Fifth Grade Strings Program. The Festival initially provided $12,000 for music instruction books, stands, and equipment racks across the district, followed by $10,000 in 2016 for new string instruments so every student could participate. The after-school initiative proved so successful that it was fully integrated into the regular school curriculum.

In 2017, the Festival extended its outreach to Ferndale Public Schools to help restore their suspended music programs, donating 36 new string instruments to launch a thriving string instruction program for local students.