Grants To Help Orchestra Students At Scullen Middle School

NAPERVILLE, IL — Orchestra students at Scullen Middle School will have access to more opportunities thanks to grants that were recently awarded to Indian Prairie School District 204 and the middle school. In total, the Scullen Middle School Orchestra Program received more than $7,000 in grant funding.

The bulk of the funding came from DuPage Foundation's JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund, which awarded $6,915 to the program. With this grant, Scullen's orchestra program can add electric violins and other instruments, in addition to a master class with a guest artist skilled in playing electric stringed instruments.

The program also received $950 from the Illinois Education Foundation that will be used by the Carnatic orchestra, Saraswati, to buy a shruti box. The traditional Indian instrument is played by squeezing the box to create a droning sound.

"I am incredibly grateful to both the JCS Fund and the IEA Foundation for their support," orchestra director Matthew White said in a statment. "These grants will allow our students to broaden their musical horizons and gain a deeper understanding of both modern and traditional music forms. We’re excited to see how these new opportunities will enhance our orchestra program and inspire our students."