BRINGING MUSIC TO UNDERSERVED CHILDREN 
 
by 
VALERIE A. NELSON 
A LECTURE-DOCUMENT 
Presented to the School of Music and Dance 
of the University of Oregon  
in partial fulfillment of the requirements 
for the degree of 
Doctor of Musical Arts  
June 2018 
  
ii 
 
 
 
“Bringing Music to Underserved Children,” a lecture-document prepared by Valerie A. Nelson 
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the School of 
Music and Dance. This lecture-document has been approved and accepted by:  
 
Fritz Gearhart, Chair of the Examining Committee, and Andrew Strietelmeier, Co-Chair 
 
May 10, 2018 
 
 
Committee in Charge: Fritz Gearhart, Chair 
 Andrew Strietelmeier, Co-Chair 
 Lillian Manis 
 
 
Accepted by: 
 
Leslie Straka, D.M.A. 
Director of Graduate Studies, School of Music and Dance 
  
iii 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2018 Valerie A. Nelson 
  
iv 
 
ABSTRACT 
 
Valerie A. Nelson 
 
Doctor of Musical Arts 
 
University of Oregon School of Music and Dance 
 
June 2018 
 
Title: Bringing Music to Underserved Children 
 
 
The mission of this lecture document is to present a string education nonprofit startup 
model which addresses the need for equal access to string education. It includes original research 
from interviews with four nonprofits currently serving low-income children and families in the 
United States. Also included is a literature review of current scholarship regarding low-income 
children and the numerous struggles they face in life. Benefits of music education are discussed in 
relation to improving the lives of these children. Suzuki and El Sistema pedagogical philosophies 
are discussed. Guiding steps for nonprofit formation are included, but are specific to the state of 
Oregon.  
v 
 
 
 
CURRICULUM VITAE 
 
NAME OF AUTHOR:  Valerie A. Nelson 
 
 
GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: 
 
 University of Oregon 
 Southern Methodist University 
 University of Oregon 
 
 
DEGREES AWARDED: 
 
 Doctor of Musical Arts, 2018, University of Oregon 
 Master of Music, 2012, Southern Methodist University 
 Bachelor of Music, 2010, University of Oregon 
 
 
AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: 
 
 Violin and Viola Pedagogy 
 Equal Access to String Education 
 Nonprofit Financial Management of Fine Arts Organizations 
 
 
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 
 
 Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon, 2014-2018 
 Eugene Symphony, Section Violin  
 Suzuki Violin Teacher, Community Music Institute, University of Oregon 
 
  
 
 
  
vi 
 
GRANTS, AWARDS AND HONORS: 
 
 Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship, University of Oregon 
 
 Full Merit Scholarship, Southern Methodist University 
 
            Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon 
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
vii 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to professor Gearhart, Manis, and Dr. 
Strietelmeier for their frequent assistance and oversight of this document. In addition, special 
thanks are due to Professor Manis for providing valuable coaching in Suzuki pedagogy and for 
encouraging my continued teacher training. 
 
viii 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Chapter Page 
I.  INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 
 
II.  LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 4 
 
III.  NONPROFIT STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT  ........................................ 18 
 
IV.  TRAITS OF CURRENT STRING EDUCATION NONPROFITS  ..................... 36 
 
V.  CONCLUSION AND NONPROFIT STARTUP CHECKLIST ............................ 63 
 
REFERENCES CITED  ....................................................................................................... 67 
 
 
  
  
ix 
 
LIST OF TABLES 
 
Table Page 
 
 
1. Table 1 ................................................................................................................... 41 
 
2. Table 2 ................................................................................................................... 47 
 
3. Table 3 ................................................................................................................... 53 
4. Table 4 ................................................................................................................... 58 
5. Table 5 ................................................................................................................... 60 
6. Table 6 ................................................................................................................... 63 
 
 
 
CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTION 
Due to limited resources, low-income children do not always have access to study 
stringed instruments in public schools and private music programs (DeLorenzo, 2012; 
National String Project Consortium, 2009). Unfortunately, string educators with an 
interest in serving low-income children frequently do not have the necessary business 
knowledge and expertise in starting or managing nonprofit programs. The mission of this 
research is to design a start-up model of a nonprofit string education program by 
combining current scholarship regarding low-income children, business resources, and 
interviews with relevant nonprofit organizations. The literature review summarizes 
current research, and later, interview analyses and discussion provide a rare inside look at 
the functioning of similar organizations.  
The literature review highlights some of the difficulties of low-income families 
that affect educational and behavioral outcomes. Some benefits of music education for 
children are discussed, and two leading philosophies of string education will be 
presented: Suzuki and El Sistema. There is little in the current scholarship documenting 
the benefits specific to Suzuki and El Sistema philosophies. Current interdisciplinary 
research, however, implies there may be elements of both philosophies that align with 
supportive efforts for low-income children. Guiding steps for nonprofit formation, 
specific to Oregon but similar to those in other states, are discussed. Five interviews from 
four nonprofits across the United States are summarized and discussed. The data gathered 
is analyzed to create a model for starting a string education nonprofit that can 
successfully and sustainably serve low-income children. 
1
 
 
Chapter two includes research from the fields of psychology, education, and 
music education for a multifaceted understanding of the challenges facing low-income 
children. Music education will be shown 1) to impact the lives and academic outcomes 
for low-income children, 2) that it may be able to better serve low-income children and 
families, and 3) that it needs to eliminate barriers from participation.  
Suzuki and El Sistema pedagogical philosophies have reputations for excellent 
string education practices with children. The author discusses these philosophies and 
suggests combining the strengths of each due to inherent limitations of any single 
approach. Weaknesses will also be considered. Mainly, three aspects of Suzuki 
philosophy are sometimes absent from El Sistema: beginning early in childhood, 
intensive parent involvement, and private lessons. The elements present in El Sistema 
that are sometimes absent from Suzuki philosophy are targeting services for underserved 
youth and frequent large group learning environments.  
Chapter three provides an introduction to establishing a nonprofit and prepares the 
reader for nonprofit technical language in the following interviews. It includes a list of 
the steps required in starting a nonprofit, together with resources for further help in 
completing each step. An overview of management activities such as strategic planning, 
grant writing, and evaluating financial health follows. The information provided by this is 
not a substitute for professional legal or tax advice.  
 Chapter four reports interviews conducted with current Suzuki and El Sistema 
nonprofit administrators and teachers. Qualitative text analysis reveals common elements 
such as challenges to these four programs, causes for growth, and advice to future 
nonprofits. The emergent themes are analyzed and compared to answer the research 
2
 
 
question: What can experienced nonprofit administrators and teachers share with music 
educators to successfully start their own nonprofit? Chapter five applies knowledge from 
the interviewees and conclusions drawn from qualitative analysis to form the basis for a 
program model that can be implemented in musically deprived communities and in 
communities with few resources for low-income children. 
  
3
 
 
CHAPTER II 
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 
 
Challenges facing children in poverty 
To better understand the challenges that low-income families face, it is important 
to define a low-income family. The federal government defines poverty as having an 
annual income threshold of $24,858 for a family of two parents and two children (in 
2017). This calculation is based on the estimation of three times a family's minimum food 
budget (Institute for Research on Poverty, 2018). According to this definition of poverty, 
in 2016, 12.7% of people in the United States were living in poverty (Fontenot, Kollar, & 
Semega, 2017). The federal definition of poverty has been criticized by the National 
Center for Children in Poverty for underestimating the number of people truly living in 
poverty because it is out of touch with life in a modern context (it was developed in 
1963) (Engelhardt & Skinner, 2013). It fails to take into account several factors: the 
increased need for child care, increase of single-parent households, widely varying cost 
of living (hereafter COL), increases in medical costs, and the decreasing real value of 
food stamps and other benefit programs (Jacob, 2012). Low-income families are above 
the poverty threshold but still quite disadvantaged. Low-income is typically defined as a 
family with two parents and two children earning less than 200% of poverty threshold 
($49,716) (Mather, 2013).  
Locations with high housing costs also cause financial stress on poverty-level and 
low-income families because housing expenses are large a percentage of their annual 
income, which previously was not considered in poverty level assessments. In 2011, the 
4
 
 
Supplemental Poverty Measure was introduced by the National Academy of Sciences to 
more accurately assess poverty rates by taking into account COL (Jacob, 2012). The 2016 
national average of those living in poverty was 1.3% higher (14%) when the 
supplemental measure is used. While the national average increases some with the 
supplemental measure, for individual states and regions with high COL, the percentage of 
people living in poverty changes dramatically. The Census Bureau (2006) states that 
housing costs more than 30% of household income is unaffordable and can be an 
indicator of an affordable housing problem. Currently, more than 20% of Californian 
households are Severely Cost-Burdened while yet another third of the state are still cost-
burdened (Kimberlin, 2017). Severely Cost-Burdened is a standard term for individuals 
paying more than 50% of their household income on housing costs (Schwartz & Wilson, 
2006). The percentage of Severely Cost-Burdened families (more than 20%) closely 
matches the California poverty rate with the supplemental measure taken into account 
(20.6% in 2015). This is much higher than the national average of poverty in 2015 
(13.5%) and the official poverty rate of California without the supplemental measure 
(15%) (Nichols, 2017). For this reason, California is a good example of how the 
Supplemental Poverty Measure can provide a broader perspective of poverty in 
comparison to the original definition of poverty and low-income.  
In states where COL is lower, the Supplemental Poverty Measure makes less of a 
difference in the percentage of population struggling with poverty. This is due to the fact 
that many other issues contribute to poverty besides COL, although it does not 
necessarily mean that a lower cost of living ensures less poverty. For instance, COL was 
much lower in Chicago than it is in San Francisco according to the Kaiser Family 
5
 
 
Foundation (2015), but the poverty rate in San Francisco was less than one percentage 
point higher in 2016 (City and County of San Francisco, 2017; Elejalde-Ruiz, 2017). The 
complexity of issues surrounding poverty makes it incredibly difficult to find one cause 
or one solution, but the complexity should fuel each community's creativity in problem 
solving. While there are assistance programs available to low-income families, barriers to 
receiving assistance remain (Austin et al., 2004). Many families that qualify for such 
assistance are unaware of their eligibility or are intimidated by the application processes 
involved (Austin et al., 2004).  
 
The effects of poverty on children 
Children living in poverty face serious challenges that compound upon each other. 
The longer a child lives in poverty, the greater his or her accumulation of risk factors 
becomes (Evans, 2004; Halpern, 1990). Some of the risk factors include: 
● a greater likelihood of family turmoil, such as divorce and domestic violence 
(Evans, 2004). 
● a higher chance of experiencing separation from parents for a multitude of reasons 
including being placed in foster care (Evans, 2004). 
● harsh parenting styles that can result from chronic stress of being overworked and 
having few resources to help mitigate life's burdens (Shumow, Vandell, & Posner, 
1998). 
● an unstable living environment and potential exposure to violence, because low-
income neighborhoods statistically have a higher exposure to crime (Kirk & 
Sampson, 2011). 
6
 
 
● less access to high performing public schools (Burdick-Will et al., 2011). 
● fewer and less supportive networks and the networks available to poverty-stricken 
families are often less able to lend financial support (Austin et al., 2004; Halpern, 
1990). 
● fewer cognitive enrichment opportunities due to financial constraints 
(Christensen, Schieve, Devine, & Drews-Botsch, 2014). 
● increased chances of living with daily food insecurity (Johnson & Markowitz, 
2017). 
● health problems due to lack of good health insurance and poverty's physiological 
effects (Evans & Kim, 2007). 
When a number of these risk factors are combined, a child's physical, 
socioemotional, and cognitive health are put under strain (Duncan & Murnane, 2011). 
Cognitive health can be impacted down to the cellular level, where brain cell production 
is affected to such an extent that it can alter the brain's wiring. The effects of this may 
cause a child to show signs of maladjusted emotions (Jensen, 2009). 
The stress levels that impoverished children live with create a long-term, negative 
impact on their academic performance by physically altering the brain's frontal lobes, 
which helps to control a child's judgment, foresight, and self-control (Jensen, 2009; 
Nelson & Sheridan, 2011). Stress levels can also modify and impair the hippocampus in 
ways that reduce both learning capacity and retention of new information. Living in the 
conditions of poverty also predisposes children to language acquisition problems and 
lower school achievement which create long-term life consequences as they grow into 
adulthood (Stipek & Ryan, 1997).  
7
 
 
The evidence paints an overwhelmingly negative view of low-income children's 
environment. While not every child in poverty experiences all of the issues mentioned, 
experiencing even one or two of these factors could prove difficult (Halpern, 1990). 
Some of the risk factors from childhood poverty can be overcome with interventions that 
increase school performance and improve parent-child relationships, especially when a 
child receives interventions in early childhood (Halpern, 1990; Neuman, 2009; Reynolds, 
Temple, Robertson, & Mann, 2001).  
If the child's exposure to harsh parenting styles is lessened, it may be particularly 
beneficial to their development. Parenting styles have been a subject of research in both 
psychology and education, but rarely in music education (Rosier & Corsaro, 1993). 
Styles of parenting strongly influence children's academic achievement, behavioral 
regulation, and intrinsic motivation. The best outcomes for children in all three areas 
(academic, behavioral, and motivational) occur most often when the parenting style is 
less harsh (Fox & Timmerman, 2012; Shumow et al., 1998). Researchers over the last 
two decades have documented only three distinct styles of parenting: Authoritarian, 
Authoritative, and Permissive. The Authoritarian style is characterized by limited 
involvement and strict expectations with little encouragement. Harsher styles of parenting 
can occur in families of all income levels, but has been an observed trend sometimes in 
families with low socioeconomic status (SES) (Bluestone & Tamis-LeMonda, 1999; 
Shumow et al., 1998). McLoyd (1990) suggests a reason for Authoritarian parenting may 
be that low SES can reduce a parent's capacity for different styles of parenting. The 
permissive style of parenting is defined as having low behavioral expectations and little 
supervision, but is not associated with low SES more than Authoritarian styles (Shumow 
8
 
 
et al., 1998). The Authoritative style is characterized by high expectations coupled with 
encouragement and high parental involvement. The involvement characteristic of 
Authoritative parenting benefits behavioral and academic outcomes in low-income 
families, which improves children's chances at success later in life (Shumow et al., 1998). 
While parenting style positively impacts academic achievement and behavior in children, 
negative outcomes are also mitigated by the types of interactions and strength of 
relationships between parent and child. Increasing positive interactions and improving 
parent-child relationships can decrease the effects of trauma and risk factors that are 
associated with poverty (Chartier, Walker, & Naimark, 2010; Morris et al., 2017). 
Though it is unrealistic to place all of the responsibility on the parent to prevent all 
poverty-related adversity to the child, steadying the parent's relationship with the child 
may alter the relationship's course and set it on a more positive path (Halpern, 1990). 
 
Benefits of music education for low-income children 
While not a guarantee of academic success, music education at a young age can 
help cognitive development, memory, and reading skills, which are all necessary to thrive 
academically (Altenmüller, Gruhn, Parlitz, & Liebert, 2000; Bilhartz, Bruhn, & Olson, 
1999; Cogo-Moreira, de Ávila, Ploubidis, & Mari, 2013). Since "the correlation between 
educational achievement and life outcomes offers hope," impactful practices and 
interventions including music education should be made accessible for those who cannot 
afford it otherwise (Curto, Fryer Jr., & Howard, 2011, p. 483). Below are a few of the 
findings from studies documenting notable correlations and benefits of music instruction 
9
 
 
on children, and all have been conducted to eliminate income as a variable, or were in 
Title I schools: 
• Music courses have been shown to correlate with higher IQ levels and the 
executive functions in children even when income is eliminated as a variable 
(Degé, Kubicek, & Schwarzer, 2011).  
• Children of all income levels in pre-kindergarten who receive music lessons over 
a two-year period experienced positive changes in their reading and math scores 
(Bowen, Robert C., 2010).  
• Decreases in reading and math scores have been observed when Title I students 
are removed from music classes, even when participating in educational reading 
and math interventions (McDaniel, 2011).  
• Improved linguistic processing ability has also been observed in low-income 
children who receive at least two years of music instruction (Turner, 2014). 
• Attentional control was enhanced when children at a Title I school had Suzuki 
violin instruction in early childhood, specifically starting in kindergarten 
(Hallberg, Martin, & McClure, 2017). 
Music education on its own will not reduce all of the risks associated with 
growing up in poverty (Bates, Vincent C., 2016). Also, many variables in the quality of 
music education exist; perhaps highly qualified teachers may be the only ones equipped 
to provide the benefits that a musician's training offers (Sloboda, Davidson, Howe, & 
Moore, 1996). However, non-musical and musical research findings imply that 
interventions that improve academically supportive skills of young children coupled with 
parental involvement may make even more of a difference in their life outcomes 
10
 
 
(Eakman, 2017; Gorski, 2012; Head Start, 2013). Research in music education has 
demonstrated that parental involvement in a child's music education may be a factor in 
giving musicians cognitive benefits over non-musicians (Corrigall & Schellenberg, 
2015). Music education programs that highly involve parents warrant more study because 
higher parental involvement coupled with positive interactions has been shown to 
mitigate some of the effects of poverty (Chartier et al., 2010; Shumow et al., 1998).  
Barriers to parental involvement beyond cost should also be taken into 
consideration. Low-income families may not be aware of their eligibility to participate in 
music programs, the application process for such programs could create more difficulties, 
and furthermore the location of services can also be a problem (Austin et al., 2004). Low-
income families frequently find the application process for social services to be 
troublesome enough to avoid applying (Austin et al., 2004). In a music education setting, 
barriers to participation could cause similar avoidance of low-income families.  
While all forms of music education are valuable to children, I will focus on string 
music education, specifically Suzuki and El Sistema educational philosophies. The reason 
behind choosing these philosophies (detailed below) is that the Suzuki approach engages 
the parent, begins in early childhood, and the El Sistema approach focuses its efforts on 
targeting underserved children, and in large groups. Lastly, based upon the review of 
literature that agrees music education is beneficial to low-income children, Suzuki and El 
Sistema programs currently serving these children must be studied to make the expansion 
of such programs possible for other string educators.  
 
 
11
 
 
String programs in public schools and for-profit organizations 
Many young students do not have access to string education in public schools. In 
2009, 71% of school districts offered no string music program (National String Project 
Consortium, 2009). In the 29% that are fortunate enough to have string programs, the 
funding has decreased in two thirds of them, and 30% are taught by a teacher who does 
not specialize in stringed instruments. The most frequent grade level of beginning string 
programs is 4th and 5th grade (National String Project Consortium, 2009), which is later 
than research suggests as the most educationally beneficial intervention period for 
initiating music education (Habib et al., 2016; Houlahan & Tacka, 2015; Miendlarzewska 
& Trost, 2014). 
Public school string programs are frequently the only opportunity for low-income 
children to learn to play a stringed instrument. In 2009, Only 29% of districts provided 
string programs, so most low-income children may never have had the opportunity to 
learn stringed instruments (National String Project Consortium, 2009). Even if every 
district in the U.S. provided a string program in the public schools, the benefits to the 
low-income students (and all students) would be limited due to fewer opportunities to 
incorporate a high level of parental involvement. The cost of tuition at for-profit string 
programs typically causes the local demographic of string programs to become privileged 
and lack diversity (DeLorenzo, 2012). In turn, this may enforce barriers between social 
classes due to unequal access.  
In the 71% of public school districts that do not provide string programs in public 
schools, children from low-income families may have little to no opportunity for string 
music education (National String Project Consortium, 2009). Even in schools with string 
12
 
 
programs available, there are still large disparities between numbers of low-income and 
non-low-income students participating for various reasons (DeLorenzo, 2012). Private 
string programs are not designed to provide scholarships for all of the remaining low-
income children who need and would benefit from lessons because they are not operating 
exclusively for public benefit. The burden of cost could then fall onto the low-income 
families who may not be able to afford the cost of tuition. The cost of tuition (in addition 
to other barriers) could result in a lack of opportunity to receive string music education 
and the purported benefits that music education may offer. 
For districts lacking the budget for string programs, it is then critically important 
that programs outside of public schools offer free or low-cost string music education. 
Without such free or low-cost programs, the expense can be unrealistic for low-income 
families. Using the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area as an example, a family of four at 
the top of the federal poverty threshold ($24,858) in 2017 could spend between 4 to 6 
percent of their annual income for only one of their children to take string music lessons 
at a private music program (30 minute lessons, for 36 weeks of the year). For both 
children, the family would have to spend 8 to 12 percent of their annual income on 
lessons, and this calculation is conservative: it does not take into account the cost of an 
instrument rental or purchase, music books, any extra fees, or transportation costs. 
 
Brief background and growth of the El Sistema model 
Many programs currently available to low-income children in the United States 
are based on the El Sistema philosophy. El Sistema-inspired programs are important and 
relevant to this study due to their high accessibility to low-income children and their 
13
 
 
dramatic growth in the U.S. in recent years (Shoemaker, 2012; Silberman, 2013). El 
Sistema is the name for a national network of orchestra programs that began in 
Venezuela. The founder, Jose Abreu, introduced the first of these orchestras in 1975. 
Abreu fought the idea that musical education could only be an elite pursuit and invented a 
system that allowed for full accessibility within the community. The central ideal of El 
Sistema is that music education creates wide social change, rather than affecting just the 
musical climate of a community or providing entertainment. This philosophical idea 
guides six components found to guide the traditions of El Sistema-inspired programs 
throughout the world (Silberman, 2013): 
1. Social change through participating in a musical ensemble 
2. Ensemble-based learning rather than individual focused learning 
3. Frequent or intense rehearsals and classes 
4. Peer-to-peer learning 
5. Frequent performing opportunities 
6. Open and equally accessible programs 
In 2013, there were 40 El Sistema programs in the U.S, and many of those are 
recent additions since 2008 (Silberman, 2013). Now there are well over 100 El Sistema-
inspired programs nationally, which clearly shows a pattern of growth (Sistema Global, 
2017). El Sistema's focus on providing equally accessible music education makes it a 
strong candidate for a program model to emulate; however, the varied model within the 
United Stated has its weaknesses. One limitation is the inconsistent degree of parental 
involvement (Hsu, 2017). Information available on current programs in the U.S. 
apparently shows that parents are involved in more in some programs and less in others. 
14
 
 
Though parental involvement is generally encouraged, what that entails in each program 
varies (Hsu, 2017). While these are important for each child’s participation and growth as 
a musician, parental involvement could be strengthened by empowering parents with 
guidance from a weekly private teacher, or opportunities to be involved in group learning 
situations. This guidance would be received through the process of attending lessons or 
classes with their child. Greater parental involvement is also associated strongly with the 
Authoritative parenting style, higher academic achievement, and intrinsic motivation, 
making it a very important factor in aiding low-income children's success in life (Fox & 
Timmerman, 2012). Assuming that private instruction is important, an additional 
limitation is that it is not necessarily provided by all El Sistema-inspired programs. Since 
many programs occur at schools and some during the school day, this again limits the 
ways a parent can truly be involved. In some programs, private lessons are given only to 
the children who either struggle or excel the most, leaving the children in between 
without individual instruction (Hsu, 2017).  
Another possible limitation of some programs is the typical age of beginning 
instruction occurs later in childhood. Hallberg (2017) suggests an academically beneficial 
grade for children to begin string education is in Kindergarten. A later childhood 
beginning may also miss some important musical benefits of starting early, such as early 
training of muscular coordination may help to develop effortless technique. The 
implementation of an early childhood beginning, private lessons and parental 
involvement in all El Sistema-inspired programs may be of benefit to the students. 
 
 
15
 
 
Brief background of Suzuki philosophy 
The Suzuki philosophy was developed during the mid twentieth century by 
Japanese violinist and educator Dr. Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998). The educational 
approach is centered around Dr. Suzuki's belief that every child can learn. He conceived 
of his approach as cultivating the musical ability present in all children (Suzuki, Selden, 
& Selden, 2012). The approach utilizes learning and teaching concepts similar to the way 
children learn to speak their native language, accounting for a wide spectrum of rates of 
development.  
These are the eight core concepts that are implemented through the Suzuki 
Philosophy (Suzuki Association of the Americas, 2018): 
1. Parent involvement: The parent is involved during lessons, attends group lessons 
and is present during home practice. 
2. Encouragement: The child's effort is met with praise and encouragement from 
teacher and parent.  
3. Early beginning: The child's best years for developing muscular coordination are 
in early childhood, preferably age three to four. 
4. Learning with other children: Group lessons and performances with peers are 
motivating and provide peer-learning opportunities. 
5. Listening: To become familiarized with the Suzuki repertoire, daily listening is 
important. 
6. Graded Repertoire: The acquisition of technical skills is introduced in the musical 
repertoire, which steadily increases in complexity. 
16
 
 
7. Repetition: Skill repetition is necessary for mastery, so the repertoire builds upon 
skills acquired previously for greater mastery of technique. 
8. Delayed Reading: Just as children learn to speak before learning to read, a child 
should have a basic technical proficiency before learning to read music. 
The core concepts introduced by the Suzuki philosophy are not all necessarily 
unique, as many facets are considered standard practices for good teaching (Scott, 1992). 
Some concepts are shared with pedagogical practices in El Sistema, such as learning with 
other children, and the emphasis on frequent practice and rehearsals (Lui, 2014). When 
all of these concepts are combined, the child is given a nurturing environment that allows 
supported learning. One weakness of the Suzuki model when implemented in for-profit 
programs is its frequently limited accessibility to low-income children as compared to the 
freely accessible Sistema-inspired programs. Accessibility is limited primarily due to 
cost. This also contributes to limiting the demographic of string players (DeLorenzo, 
2012). Some Suzuki programs have made it their mission to provide accessible services, 
but the number of programs addressing this widespread need must increase in order to 
become easily accessible to low-income children in the same way El Sistema has. 
Another possible limitation with the Suzuki philosophy is the missing emphasis of 
frequent and intense rehearsals within a large ensemble. Large ensemble learning 
promotes inclusion, teamwork and cooperation in a community atmosphere (Majno, 
2012). A Suzuki program may find that the addition of a large ensemble in the curricular 
model increases the sense of community. 
  
17
 
 
CHAPTER III 
NONPROFIT STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
Nonprofit Status and Startup 
One way of offering free or low-cost string education to low-income children 
(while still paying teaching staff) is by obtaining nonprofit status. This is advantageous 
due to a nonprofits' ability to seek funding from multiple sources such as grants and 
donations. Grant funding is generally uncommon for for-profit businesses due to funders' 
restrictions, and so it becomes difficult to provide services free of charge or low in cost. 
For-profit businesses usually generate most revenue from sales, services, and loans 
(Norwich University, 2016). Without a portion of service revenue such as private lesson 
tuition, a for-profit business may struggle to keep up with expenses. Nonprofits however, 
can seek revenue from many different forms of charitable giving in addition to business-
related sales and services, thus expanding the avenues in which they generate funds and 
reducing the taxable revenue (Grace College, 2015). If the revenue for a business is not 
entirely dependent on services provided by employees, there is room to provide services 
to low-income patrons without harming the financial standing of the business.  
 
Registering a Nonprofit Organization 
Learning about a nonprofit business structure before deciding if it is the most 
desirable business structure is prudent. Many commercially available texts outline the 
limitations of nonprofit and other business structures, as well as the process of 
incorporation (e.g., Pakroo, 2013). It is important to find a guiding source such as this 
18
 
 
that informs the reader of various logistical challenges of running a nonprofit, including 
the legal steps necessary to start one and guidance to continue operating smoothly. The 
guidance offered by such texts is very in-depth and should be utilized, but an overview of 
the most basic nonprofit legal startup process can be done more efficiently by consulting 
a local secretary of state website. Requirements for registering nonprofits are slightly 
different in every state. In Oregon, for example, there are four preliminary steps: 1) 
choose a name and structure, 2) register with the Secretary of State, 3) obtain tax 
identification numbers, and 4) acquire insurance and licensing (Oregon Secretary of 
State, 2018a). 
1) Choose a name and structure for a business (e.g. Nonprofit, LLC) with the help 
of a lawyer and an accountant. To make sure a name has not already been taken, consult 
the state’s Business Registry Database, or Business Search within the Secretary of State 
website. The National Association of Secretaries of State (2018) has a search tool to 
locate every secretary of state website on www.nass.org. 
2) Register the nonprofit with the Secretary of State, and the city or county of 
operation if required by the city or county therein. Registration involves filling out a short 
Articles of Incorporation form. Designating a registered agent and selecting board 
members is usually part of the Articles of Incorporation in each state (Pakroo, 2013). 
Depending on the type of services an organization provides, it may be best to become a 
nonprofit incorporation rather than a nonprofit association. There are two main reasons 
why incorporating is important. A) The financial management of incorporated nonprofits 
has greater organizational and formal requirements, which looks more credible to 
potential funders. B) It helps with liability issues. If personal assets are not clearly 
19
 
 
separated from a nonprofit's assets, they can be seized in the event of legal attack, which 
no business is immune from (Fisher, 2013).  
A registered agent is a technical title for a person unrelated to the business (a third 
party) who receives the tax and legal documents on behalf of an organization (Pakroo, 
2013). Even if a state doesn’t require having a registered agent, it is beneficial to have 
one because it protects organizations from unanticipated problems, and if the address of 
the organization changes, it saves the hassle of having to update paperwork with the state 
and the IRS (Score Association, 2014). Registered agents can be searched for easily by 
searching online for registered agents in the intended state (Oregon Secretary of State, 
2018c).  
Selecting board members takes more effort than selecting a registered agent.  A 
board of directors helps organizations to make decisions, promote visibility, raise money, 
and when needed, help carry out the mission. The most successful organizations have 
boards that do these tasks, but there are other considerations that increase a board's 
effectiveness. Pakroo (2013) suggests that a well-balanced board is: 
● Diverse in age, race, gender, occupational/skill, and even religious makeup 
● Well-connected to the community of the organization 
● Supportive of the organization's mission 
● Willing and able to get involved with the work of the organization 
● And most importantly, willing to help raise money 
A board with too little diversity might consist of a majority of members falling 
into one occupational category, such as musicians. The board does not need a majority of 
musicians if the tasks involved are not inherently musical. Recruiting board members 
20
 
 
from one occupational area could limit the variety of perspectives of any public service 
organization (Abzug & Galaskiewicz, 2001). A wide variety of skills and community 
members will help the organization serve the widest population of the community it is 
trying to serve, which is in the best interest of the organization and the community 
(Pakroo, 2013). 
3) Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and then get tax ID 
numbers by registering with the Oregon Department of Revenue and the IRS. Applying 
for an EIN is a simple process, but becoming tax-exempt is less so. Not all nonprofits 
have or even need this tax status, but a nonprofit can apply if it fits the criteria and deems 
it necessary. An accountant's services would be very helpful in this process not only 
because they have necessary expertise, but also to avoid providing incorrect information 
to the IRS (CharityNetUSA, 2015). If a nonprofit decides to incorporate, doing so before 
applying for federal tax-exempt status will save a lot of trouble later on (Pakroo, 2013). 
Incorporating after applying for tax exemption will require paperwork to be redone, so 
the new nonprofit should decide early and keep the exemption requirements in mind if 
incorporating. The IRS only accepts applications from state-registered nonprofits, so the 
processes in step two must be completed first. 
4) Fulfill the necessary insurance requirements and gain necessary licensing or 
permitting required by the state, city, or county.  
Some insurance types are required by the state government, while others are 
optional. Worker's Compensation and Unemployment insurance are mandatory, 
according to the Oregon Secretary of State (2018a). Liability insurance is widely 
accepted as a highly important form of insurance for any business structure to acquire 
21
 
 
(Small Business Administration, 2018). Disability insurance is also currently required in 
California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and Rhode Island (National 
Federation of Independent Businesses, 2016). Many other types of optional insurance for 
different nonprofit needs exist, but to determine which are truly necessary, a fledgling 
organization could receive professional risk management consulting. One such source 
recommended by the Nonprofit Association of Oregon (2016) is the Nonprofit Risk 
Management Center (https://www.nonprofitrisk.org/), which serves organizations in 
many states.  
The Business Information Center through the Oregon Secretary of State 
(http://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/business-information-center.aspx) provides 
information related to licensing at the state level in Oregon, but city or county level 
licensing must be completed separately with city or county government. Cities do not 
necessarily require business licenses for all businesses; for example, in the city of 
Eugene, Oregon, licenses are only necessary for businesses providing transportation, 
payday lending, and the sale of tobacco products (City of Eugene, 2018). However, some 
regulations may still apply to all business owners (sometimes referred to as commercial 
solicitors) whether they are for-profit or not. Some of these regulations might include 
keeping a written record of services provided, giving receipts to customers, and having 
commercial solicitor/employer identification available (City of Eugene, 2015). Many 
jurisdictions have licensure and contact information available online. Verifying the 
necessary requirements with the local government is important since this guide merely 
provides a general overview of requirements specific to Oregon, and requirements may 
vary in other cities and states. 
22
 
 
Registering with the state and fulfilling these legal requirements can be 
intimidating even with the help of your lawyer and accountant, but there are resources 
available to individuals undertaking this task. In 2013, the Oregon Secretary of State 
created the Office of Small Business Assistance to equip small businesses and nonprofits 
with information and helpful resources, and to assist objectively if regulatory actions are 
taken against the business (Oregon Secretary of State, 2018b). The Secretary of State 
website provides access to the Office of Small Business Assistance site and also includes 
links to information and hotlines for help on filling out all the forms. One such additional 
resource linked to by the Secretary of State website is www.GuideStar.org, a national 
nonprofit information database independent of the government (GuideStar, 2018). 
GuideStar itself is a nonprofit organization, and its mission is to present accurate data 
from every registered U.S. nonprofit free of charge. GuideStar is useful when comparing 
practices between nonprofits, allowing nonprofits to research similar organizations and 
also grantors to investigate a nonprofit they are considering funding. 
By following the four steps above, a nonprofit can form and ready itself to serve 
the public. Actually operating a nonprofit successfully is a separate and equally important 
process, however. Some basic research in a community can aid the process of being ready 
to serve its community members.  
 
Research the community 
 
There are many ways to research a community, but some analyses are appropriate 
even for beginners. One such analysis may analyze a fledgling organization’s potential 
for success within the context of a particular location, while another analyzes a 
23
 
 
community to better inform the organization forming around it. An analysis such as 
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) can be utilized in formulating 
an organization's strategic plan, and funders appreciate evidence that the organizations 
they might support are practical about their projected success and impact on the intended 
community (Coe, 2011; Pakroo, 2013). A SWOT analysis gives a good overview of 
positive and negative characteristics of an organization within a community (Pakroo, 
2013). The following four steps show how the process is done. 
 
Conducting a SWOT analysis (Pakroo, 2013) 
1) Identify strengths of the nonprofit and the strengths of the community. 
 
Examples of strengths in a nonprofit:  
 
● A board member has experience working in the local public schools.  
● The founder has many connections with potential volunteers.  
 
Examples of strengths in the community: 
 
● Title I schools that have a record of improved achievements 
● The Community has interest in local professional musical ensembles. 
 
2) Identify weaknesses of the nonprofit and of its relationship to the community. 
 
Examples of weaknesses: 
 
● The board has a lack of experience in grant writing and fundraising. 
● The organization is new and unknown to the community. 
 
3) Identify opportunities within the community. 
 
Examples of opportunities: 
 
● Many potential local grants for nonprofits serving low-income children. 
● There is a high number of target Title I schools.  
24
 
 
● No other organizations are providing string education for free or low cost. 
 
4) Identify potential threats within the community. 
 
Examples of threats: 
 
● Families may be indifferent to receiving string education. 
● Inexperience in grant writing could make revenue more difficult to gain. 
 
After gathering the identified SWOT information, the identified strengths and 
opportunities should be leveraged to mitigate the weaknesses and threats (Pakroo, 2013). 
For instance, the board member with experience in the public schools could reach out to 
the Title I schools to increase awareness of the nonprofit and increase the impact on the 
areas of the community most in need. Likewise, the founder with connections to many 
volunteers could find an individual with grant writing experience to help edit grant 
applications and decrease the chances of not securing enough revenue. The manner of 
presentation is important when presenting the findings of your analysis to potential 
funders, so Pakroo (2013) recommends including a chart or another formal 
representation. There is an abundance of online resources to aid the visual representation 
of SWOT data (e.g., infoDiagram, 2017). It is also important to consider that this is one 
of many analyses that can be conducted, and that this particular type of analysis does not 
prioritize aspects, or offer solutions. The board must strategize solutions and priorities 
after conducting the analysis. 
 
The Strategic Plan 
The strategic plan of a nonprofit organization is a working document that includes 
the mission statement, goals and objectives, activities, an assessment of internal and 
25
 
 
external resources, and a strategy for achieving the goals. For a small organization that is 
in its planning stages, a short and simple strategic plan developed with the board of 
directors is adequate (Pakroo, 2013). This planning document is a summary, not a 
comprehensive manifesto. It does not need to involve hired experts at this stage. The 
SWOT analysis is part of the initial planning process, and can be used later within the 
strategic plan. There is no specific time to complete the strategic plan, but conducting the 
community research and devising a plan early, even before registering with the state, can 
help an organization operate smoothly from the start. As an organization grows, the 
strategic plan may become more complex. It should be updated each year for reasons 
including assessing whether the stated goals have been achieved, if the goals are realistic, 
or perhaps if activities have changed over time. The strategic plan is sometimes of 
interest to funders or other donating entities, such as a local church providing a teaching 
space. Communicate the strategic plan with them, because their approval may be 
necessary for their continued support. Resources such as The National Council of 
Nonprofits (www.councilofnonprofits.org), and the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic 
Planning and Facilitation exist that help inform the process of strategic planning 
(McNamara, 2007; National Council of Nonprofits, 2018a). 
 
Getting started with grant writing 
 
Grant writing is a continuously renewing process, because funds are typically 
awarded for a fixed duration, often one year (Coe, 2011). The grant writing process 
should include the grant writer or writers making a personal connection with the grant 
seeking organization (Angell, 2018). In some cases, the grant writer may be a part of the 
26
 
 
organization and have a connection already, such as the founder or a board member with 
experience. If the grant writer has little connection with the daily activities provided by 
the organization, he/she should sit in on some rehearsals or lessons to gain the necessary 
inside perspective. This way, the grant writer can truly see what is going on with the 
children and the teachers that are in need of the grant.  
 
Find what type of funding support a grant provides 
 
The grant writer also needs to find out what category of financial support is 
provided by potential grants. Many grants are restricted to program support, which means 
the grant may only be used towards the program activities. Fewer granting entities 
provide finding support for administrative overhead or general operations (Hogan, 2013). 
The grants that provide this unrestricted funding are highly coveted, but more difficult to 
find. Program grants can only be applied to a specific purpose with a very specific budget 
that is written out in the grant application. However, both program and general operation 
funding are also necessary for the financial sustainability of the organization, so finding 
grants to support general operations can be extremely helpful. 
Granting entities also have missions, and they provide funding to organizations 
that have similar aims (Jonker & Meehan III, 2014). Therefore, finding granting entities 
that have similar priorities to a grant seeking organization is very a important part of the 
process (Jarvis, 2016). A string education program providing services to low-income 
children may find shared missions with funders that support music education, education, 
performing arts, and social causes. That is why El Sistema programs are likely to receive 
funding from sources outside of the arts alone (Angell, 2018). Demonstrating that both 
27
 
 
arts and general education benefits are part of the organization's mission and activities 
will help garner financial support from granting entities with both of these missions. 
 
Qualities funders look for in organizations  
When grant writing for an organization, there are some important things to 
consider from the perspective of the granting entity. The following information offers a 
funding perspective of a private foundation (the Paul M. Angell Foundation) that gives 
grants to El Sistema-inspired programs and similar organizations. According to Micheal 
Angell (2018) of the Paul M. Angell Foundation, four main components need to be 
present in El Sistema organizations seeking one of their grants:  
• Students 
• Talent and dedication of teachers, staff, and volunteers. Available resources to 
replace members if there is turnover of teachers, staff, or volunteers. 
• The site or venue is located appropriately for access by low-income students, such 
as a public school or community center, and is reliable to use due to consistent 
support (not necessarily monetary) from whoever owns or manages the site, such 
as a school principal that allows the use of a school for the organization's teaching 
activities. 
• Organization or leadership and development team that oversees the Talent and 
Site components. 
The students are at the top of the priority list, although Angell does not specify 
whether quantity, demographics or some other factor is of primary interest. What is 
important is that the organization is focused on the students. Talent, Site and 
28
 
 
Organization provide the support necessary to carry out the mission. If any one of the 
supporting areas weaken, the organization is less able to carry out its mission 
successfully. While this is only one perspective of what funders are looking for in an 
organization, it is clear that most funders want to see promising organizations that have 
talented, hard-working staff that is capable of carrying out its mission. 
 
Where to find grant support 
Small or newly forming organizations typically do not qualify for federal 
government funding, such as a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The 
application process is also very cumbersome, so other grant funding opportunities need to 
be found at this stage of development. State- and county-level arts councils are easier to 
apply to and receive grant funding. In Oregon, the Oregon Arts Commission provides 
grants to arts organizations all around the state (Oregon Arts Commission, 2018). 
Sometimes, the funding it provides is for county level arts commissions, which then 
distribute funding on an even more local level, such as the Lane Arts Commission in 
Eugene. The website www.oregonartscommission.org/impact/past-grantees allows 
anyone to view what organizations received grant awards, when, and in what dollar 
amount. For instance, the Oregon Arts Commission provided $66,000 total to the Lane 
Arts Council in Eugene between the years of 2005 and 2014 (Oregon Arts Commission, 
2018). State and County grant opportunities are easily searchable online.  
Local corporations are another available grant-making resource. Angell (2018) 
recommends meeting with a local bank branch manager to ask about local funding 
opportunities. Banks are usually receptive to this. Restaurants, galleries, and other 
29
 
 
businesses may agree to provide funding as well, in exchange for being labeled publicly 
as a supporter. Check with your accountant first to make sure the labeling in concert 
programs, websites, t-shirts, or other marketing tools do not categorize the funding as 
UBI (Unrelated Business Income), which is taxed (Pakroo, 2013).  
Private foundations also provide grants, but searching for these can be more 
difficult than finding county or local corporate funding. Sometimes public libraries have 
foundation directories that are free to use, but the information in these directories can be 
outdated. One more effective way of finding private foundations is to ask similar local 
organizations where they received foundation grants from (Angell, 2018). This 
information is frequently available on organizations' websites as well.  
 
Other types of funding 
Fundraising is obviously a part of what sustains nonprofit organizations but it can 
be expensive if extravagant (Monk & May, 2017). Starting with small and inexpensive 
events is the most efficient and least financially risky way to get started with fundraising 
(Lockwood Herman, 2018). Inexpensive events can include a scavenger hunt, a relay 
race, a concert that encourage charitable giving, or other simple and inexpensive events 
(Chung, 2015). Hiring a professional fundraiser is a complicated process that is highly 
regulated, costly, and also present ethical challenges (Coe, 2011). Only 16 percent of all 
nonprofit organizations hire a professional fundraiser, and far fewer are specifically arts 
organizations (Coe, 2011). CharityWatch (2007) cautions that professional fundraisers 
like street solicitors can be pushy and can spur uninformed contributions. There are many 
other ways of building revenue aside from fundraising that can include in-kind donations 
30
 
 
(non-cash gifts of goods and services), investment earnings, and endowment funds. These 
last two types of funding can be very helpful in the long-term if attained, especially if the 
interest is considered unrestricted in use (Coe, 2011). Investment earnings and 
endowment funds yield interest and are greatly helpful because once they are established, 
the organization can continue collecting revenue from the interest they generate over time 
(National Council of Nonprofits, 2018b; Rice, DiMeo, & Porter, 2012). The board helps 
to determine what the interest from these funds can be used for. If the interest on the 
funds is determined to be unrestricted, then that income is usable for both program 
expenses and general operation expenses. These are useful when grant funds are 
restricted for use towards program activities only, but the organization still is responsible 
for expenses such as rent for an office space or administrative salaries, which are 
typically considered general operating expenses (Coe, 2011). For additional research into 
grant writing, seeking grants, fundraising, and finding funding sources, webinars on El 
Sistema USA's continuing education series (https://elsistemausa.org/continuing-
education/) are useful, as well as The Only Grant Writing Book You'll Ever Need (Karsh 
& Fox, 2014), Diversification of Revenue Strategies: Evolving Resource Dependence in 
Nonprofit Organizations (Froelich, 1999) and Designing and Managing the Fundraising 
Program (Fogal, 2016). 
 
Assessing financial health 
 
After developing a budget and then raising money for an organization, the 
administration must monitor the new institution's financial stability. This may seem 
complicated since many founders or artistic directors may not feel qualified to assess 
31
 
 
their own organization's fiscal health without previous experience. However, with the 
annual tax information and the knowledge of Coe's (2011) financial ratios below, 
analyzing fiscal health is within the means of even the least experienced administration. 
The processes involved are only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. When 
keeping track of an organization's financial status however, there is no single determining 
equation. Financial health is more nuanced than a single ratio can calculate, therefore six 
separate ratios are presented and some carry more weight than others (Demonstrating 
Value, 2018). By evaluating the problem areas in finances, it is easier for a board to 
strategize to find solutions. These strategies impress potential funders in grant 
applications and strategic plans. It is important to note that potential granting entities also 
know how to calculate these ratios, and use them to evaluate an organization before 
donating money. An organization with the ability to self-evaluate is more equipped to 
stay ahead of funders' expectations and may anticipate economic downturns or other 
financially impactful events. The six ratios in decreasing order of significance: 
1) Operating margin ratio: This ratio determines an organization's ability to 
"cushion against fiscal uncertainties" and the desired trend is an increase in operating 
margin from one year to the next (Coe, 2011, p.94). It is one of the most important of all 
six ratios.  
Figures describe what sorts of finance categories are considered in the calculation. 
Equations below each figure show where to locate those numbers on an organization's 
IRS Form 990, which an accountant should be hired to file each year.  
Equation 1a 
𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
Revenue − Expenses and Investment Income
Revenue − Investment Income
 
 
32
 
 
Equation 1b 
 
𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 990 =
Part I, line 12 − line 18 and 10
Part I, line 12 − line 11 and 10
 
 
2) Current ratio: This ratio demonstrates an organization's liquidity, which is 
important to funders as well as nonprofit organizations (Demonstrating Value, 2018). 
Liquidity in accounting terms is defined as the ability to pay of short-term debts, and can 
be measured with a ratio (Ciprian, 2009). A desirable ratio increases over time, and is 
between 2.0 and 4.0 (Coe, 2011). 
Equation 2a 
𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
 
 
Equation 2b 
 
𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 990 =
Part X, total lines 1 through 9
Part X, total lines 17 through 22
 
 
3) Debt ratio: The debt ratio shows how much an organization uses debt to fund 
its activities, similar to how people use credit cards. The debt ratio should not increase 
above .5, and the trend over time is best when decreasing (Coe, 2011). 
Equation 3a 
𝐷𝑒𝑏𝑡 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
Total Debt (i. e. liabilities)
Total Assets
 
 
Equation 3b 
𝐷𝑒𝑏𝑡 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 990 =
Part X, line 26
Part X, line 16
 
 
4) Ratio of contributions and grants to total revenue: This ratio, while not 
included in Coe's book, Nonprofit Financial Management, tells what percentage of funds 
rely solely on contributions, including cash donations and grant money, out of all of the 
33
 
 
total revenue. Too great a percentage may make an organization look too reliant on one 
source of income, when diversity matters to granting sources. 
Equation 4a 
𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
Contributions and Grants
Total Revenue
 
 
Equation 4b 
𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 990 =
Part I, line 8
Part I, line 12
 
 
5) Unrestricted net assets ratio: This indicates how much a nonprofit has in its 
proverbial piggy bank in case program or general operations expenses increase 
unexpectedly, or if revenue takes a downturn. The majority of nonprofits have less than 
the recommended three months worth of expenses saved, and a little more than ten 
percent have no cash held in reserve (Coe, 2011). Because the majority still function 
financially, this ratio may be less important than some of the other ratios above. 
Equation 5a 
𝑈𝑛𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑁𝑒𝑡 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
Unrestricted Net Assets
Total Expenses
 
 
Equation 5b 
 
𝑈𝑛𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑁𝑒𝑡 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 990 =
Part X, line 27
Part I, line 18
 
 
6) Days cash (savings and investments) on hand ratio:  This ratio is related to the 
current ratio, as it also shows an indicator of liquidity. It determines the number of days 
that there is cash available to pay for regularly occurring expenses (Coe, 2011). A cash 
flow analysis with an expert is more accurate, since cash flow going in and out is not 
always steady, and occurs in big increments. 
34
 
 
Equation 6a 
𝐷𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 =
Cash, Savings and Investments on Hand
Total Expenses −  Depreciation
 
Equation 6b 
𝐷𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 990 =
Part X, total lines 1 through 9 
Part I, total lines 1 and 2 x 365
 
  
35
 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
TRAITS OF CURRENT STRING EDUCATION NONPROFITS 
 
 
Interview Questions 
 
To gain perspective on starting a string education nonprofit, I interviewed four 
organizations to highlight important information that is not ordinarily available to 
individuals outside of an organization. The interview questions originate from the 
research question: What can experienced nonprofit administrators and teachers share with 
music educators to successfully start their own nonprofit? The questions were designed to 
give string educators a large-scale perspective of what starting and running a nonprofit 
with a similar mission might be like. Questions 1 and 10 sought to explore what specific 
services are part of each organization, and the targeted demographic. The services are 
likely to be part of each organization's strategic plan, and may include private lessons, 
group classes, orchestra rehearsals, and extra-musical services to low-income children. 
Questions 2, 3 and 13 seek details on program growth and success, such as marketing, 
student recruitment and retention, the impetus for hiring and retaining additional qualified 
teachers. Growth is what fledgling organizations aspire to achieve, so the data obtained 
from these answers is particularly valuable. Questions 4, 6, 11, and 14 address student 
retention, recruiting, pedagogical philosophy and how large-scale pedagogical decisions 
are made. Questions 5, 8, and 16 seek to identify what actions each organization takes to 
create community visibility and involvement. Lastly, questions 7, 9, 12, and 15 examine 
several administrative considerations. These questions investigate the board selection 
process, as the board is a vital part of a successful nonprofit, as well as who (whether 
36
 
 
volunteer or hired) is responsible for writing grants for the organization and the 
percentage of grants each organization has received. The administrative and funding 
questions highlight some of the most confounding parts of nonprofit functioning, 
especially to those who are intimidated by these aspects. 
Interview Questions: 
1. What exactly do you provide for free/reduced cost (i.e. lessons, instruments), and 
what are the criteria that place a student into that bracket of funding support? (i.e. 
being on the free lunch program, tax return income bracket) If you provide 
instruments, where do you get them from? 
2. How did your program get its start? How many teachers did your program start 
with? What led to the eventual hiring of more teachers? What sort of 
training/experience do you look for when hiring new teachers? 
3. How are teachers compensated in comparison with "market value" rates in your 
community? Do you feel that the hourly rate needs to be competitive enough to 
attract and retain qualified teachers? 
4. What are some of the unique challenges that your teachers face when serving low-
income children and families (e.g. absenteeism, long wait-list)? How does your 
organization work to solve those issues? 
5. What are some of the unique challenges of running your organization in your 
community (e.g. funding, high overhead costs, community involvement)? 
6. How do you recruit students? What recruiting advice would you give to fledgling 
organizations (such as, how you would recruit students and volunteers)? 
37
 
 
7. What advice would you give to someone trying to start a program in another 
market? 
8. How visible is your program in your community? How does your community 
have awareness of your organization? What are their opportunities for their 
involvement? 
9. What percentage of your grant applications are awarded? What advice would you 
give to those writing grants for similar organizations? Who writes the grants for 
your organization? 
10. Does your organization provide services to families beyond the scope of music 
instruction? If your organization doesn't already extend its public 
services/referrals beyond music instruction, what would you want it to include if 
it could (e.g. general education support, childcare, food)? 
11. What are your retention rates for your organization's low-income students? Are 
those rates different for non low-income students? What are the primary reasons 
that low-income students drop out (if they do)? What successful measures does 
your organization take to help facilitate retention? 
12. What impresses funders about your organization? Have you ever had to make 
changes to the program to meet grant funding requirements?  
13. What has helped the most with program growth (numbers of students and 
teachers)? When you envision your program in ten years, do you imagine it 
larger, smaller, or around the same size? Have your marketing efforts helped? 
38
 
 
14. Do all of your teachers follow the same methodology? Are they required to have 
formal training or certification in this methodology to teach for your 
organization? How are large-scale pedagogical decisions made? 
15. What sorts of qualities or expertise does your organization look for in a board 
member? 
16. In what ways and how often do you conduct outreach activities (such as concerts, 
surveys, or talks)? 
 
Method of Analysis 
In order to provide detailed information to string music educators about creating 
and sustaining a nonprofit, five interviews with four nonprofit staff members lasting 
about one hour were conducted. One organization had two staff members who chose to 
participate in interviews. Interviewees include administrative staff and teaching staff at 
nonprofit organizations from Oregon, Massachusetts, Texas, and Nevada. The breadth of 
geographic locations provides wide-ranging perspective on nonprofit affairs. The 
nonprofits were selected for their utilization of either Suzuki or El Sistema philosophies, 
or some combination of both. I chose both Suzuki and El Sistema philosophies because 
they are two of the most widely used approaches in string education for children (Lui, 
2014), and because El Sistema is highly relevant for its efforts in providing services 
especially to low-income children. The members of the four nonprofits interviewed were 
Sachiko Isihara (executive director) from Suzuki School of Newton Inc. (SSN), Seth 
Truby (executive director) and Laura Jáuragui (teacher) from Oregon Bravo Youth 
Orchestras (OBYO), Hermes Camacho (teacher) from Austin Soundwaves (AS), and Dr. 
Genie Burkett (treasurer) from the Foundation to Assist Young Musicians (FAYM). I 
39
 
 
analyzed the interview transcriptions using Thematic Analysis (Kuckartz & McWhertor, 
2014). This kind of analysis was chosen for its applicability to non-theory based research. 
The analysis process followed four steps:  
1. Read and reread through all the transcripts, and take down notes based on first 
impressions. 
2. Code for relevant or important words or phrases and then group related codes 
together into categories or themes.  
3. Draw connections between categories to conceptualize the data, and present 
results without interpretation.  
4. Discussion with an interpretation of the results. 
 
Answers to Questions 1 & 10 
Summaries of answers to interview questions 1 and 10 in Table 1 on the following 
page. 
 
Discussion of question 1 
 
Venue, numbers of students, and instrument acquisition are some of the most 
obvious but important logistical components of running a string program. The 
organizations serving the highest numbers of total students and low-income children 
(between 200 and 800) are located within the framework of public schools, and offer both 
during school classes and after school classes. The organization serving the next highest 
numbers of low-income children (120) is located at community centers near their target 
neighborhoods of low-income children. The organization serving the lowest numbers of  
40
 
  
S
u
m
m
ary
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 1
 &
 1
0
 
 
S
S
N
*
 
S
u
zu
k
i S
ch
o
o
l o
f N
ew
to
n
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
O
re
g
o
n
 B
ra
v
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estra
s 
A
S
*
 
A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
F
o
u
n
d
a
tio
n
 to
 A
ssist 
Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
S
erv
ices 
• P
ro
v
id
es b
o
th
 in
stru
m
en
ts 
an
d
 classes to
 lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
an
d
 n
o
n
-lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
stu
d
en
ts, an
d
 p
resch
o
o
l. 
• C
lasses p
ro
v
id
ed
 are a o
n
ce 
w
eek
ly
 p
riv
ate lesso
n
, a 
o
n
ce w
eek
ly
 g
ro
u
p
 class, 
an
d
 a o
n
ce w
eek
ly
 
m
u
sician
sh
ip
 class. 
• P
ro
v
id
es b
o
th
 in
stru
m
en
ts an
d
 
g
ro
u
p
 b
ased
 classes to
 lo
w
-
in
co
m
e stu
d
en
ts fro
m
 K
-5
 fo
r 
a $
1
0
/y
ear fee fo
r th
e 
in
stru
m
en
t 
• F
ree o
n
ce w
eek
ly
, 3
0
-m
in
u
te 
g
en
eral m
u
sic classes at a 
H
ead
 S
tart p
resch
o
o
l 
p
ro
g
ram
. 
• K
-1
 p
ro
g
ram
 is d
u
rin
g
 sch
o
o
l, 
3
0
 m
in
u
tes  
• G
rad
es 2
-5
 after sch
o
o
l 
p
ro
g
ram
 is o
rch
estral 
in
stru
ctio
n
, an
d
 m
eets 1
0
 
h
o
u
rs/w
eek
. 
 
• P
ro
v
id
es b
o
th
 in
stru
m
en
ts 
p
lu
s d
u
rin
g
 an
d
 after 
sch
o
o
l in
stru
ctio
n
 at a 
ch
arter sch
o
o
l th
at caters 
to
 T
itle I 
• S
ectio
n
al sty
le startin
g
 in
 
p
re-m
id
d
le sch
o
o
l, 
ty
p
ically
 3
 d
ay
s/w
eek
 fo
r 
3
0
-4
5
 m
in
u
tes.  
• O
rch
estra an
d
 b
an
d
  
reh
earsals are 2
 h
o
u
rs 
ev
ery
 o
th
er d
ay
, b
u
t it 
also
 p
ro
v
id
es ch
am
b
er, 
m
ariach
i, jazz classes. 
• E
v
ery
 stu
d
en
t is also
 
elig
ib
le fo
r p
riv
ate 
lesso
n
s b
u
t n
o
t ev
ery
o
n
e 
w
an
ts/g
ets th
em
. 
 
• T
w
o
 3
0
-4
0
 m
in
u
te 
g
ro
u
p
 lesso
n
s p
er w
eek
 
th
ro
u
g
h
o
u
t th
e sch
o
o
l 
y
ear,  
• In
stru
m
en
ts if n
eed
ed
.  
• 2
0
$
 p
er m
o
n
th
 fee if th
e 
fam
ily
 can
 affo
rd
 it, if 
n
o
t, th
ey
 are g
iv
en
 a 
sch
o
larsh
ip
 w
ith
o
u
t 
q
u
estio
n
.  
• D
isco
u
n
ts ex
ist fo
r 
fam
ilies w
ith
 m
o
re th
an
 
o
n
e ch
ild
 in
 p
ro
g
ram
. 
 
E
x
tra
-m
u
sica
l 
serv
ices 
• C
o
n
cert clo
th
in
g
 an
d
 
b
o
o
k
/C
D
 ex
ch
an
g
e. 
• P
resch
o
o
l cen
ter 
• W
o
u
ld
 lik
e to
 ex
p
an
d
 
serv
ices to
 early
 ch
ild
h
o
o
d
 
cu
rricu
lu
m
 fo
r lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
in
n
er-city
 ch
ild
ren
. 
• O
n
ly
 m
u
sical serv
ices 
cu
rren
tly
. W
an
ts to
 ex
ten
d
 to
 
p
aren
t m
u
sical ed
u
catio
n
 in
 
th
e fu
tu
re. 
• M
o
stly
 m
u
sical serv
ices.  
• L
arg
er o
rg
an
izatio
n
 th
ey
 
are a p
art o
f p
ro
v
id
es 
ad
u
lt en
trep
ren
eu
r 
classes. 
• O
n
ly
 m
u
sical serv
ices.  
• M
an
y
 so
cial serv
ice 
p
ro
g
ram
s in
 th
e 
co
m
m
u
n
ity
 alread
y
 fo
r 
g
en
eral n
eed
s. 
41
 
 
 
S
S
N
*
 
S
u
zu
k
i S
ch
o
o
l o
f N
ew
to
n
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
O
re
g
o
n
 B
ra
v
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estra
s 
A
S
*
 
A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
F
o
u
n
d
a
tio
n
 to
 A
ssist 
Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
D
e
m
o
g
ra
p
h
ics 
• R
eq
u
ires so
m
e n
eed
 fo
r 
teach
ers th
at sp
eak
 a d
ialect 
o
f C
h
in
ese. 
• 9
-1
0
 d
ifferen
t lan
g
u
ag
es 
sp
o
k
en
 an
d
 so
m
e E
n
g
lish
 
L
an
g
u
ag
e learn
ers 
• V
ery
 d
iv
erse. (U
p
 to
 1
7
 
d
ifferen
t n
ativ
e lan
g
u
ag
es 
sp
o
k
en
) 
• 9
5
%
 h
isp
an
ic, 5
%
 
A
frican
 A
m
erican
. 
 
• E
x
act d
ata u
n
k
n
o
w
n
, 
b
u
t h
ig
h
 p
ercen
tag
e 
h
isp
an
ic 
• T
h
ere are so
m
e stu
d
en
ts 
th
at d
o
n
't sp
eak
 E
n
g
lish
 
in
 ev
ery
 g
ro
u
p
 class. 
C
riteria
 
• S
tu
d
en
t n
eed
s to
 
d
em
o
n
strate fin
an
cial n
eed
. 
• S
lid
in
g
 scale b
ased
 o
n
 
fam
ily
 in
co
m
e b
elo
w
 a 
th
resh
o
ld
 statistic p
ro
v
id
ed
 
b
y
 an
 M
IT
 stu
d
y
. C
O
L
 
d
eterm
in
es th
at to
 h
av
e 
b
asic serv
ices, a fam
ily
 o
f 
fo
u
r m
u
st m
ak
e 
$
7
2
,0
0
0
/y
ear.  
• S
tu
d
en
t m
u
st b
e fu
lly
 
en
ro
lled
 in
 p
riv
ate lesso
n
s, 
g
ro
u
p
 class, an
d
 
m
u
sician
sh
ip
 class in
 o
rd
er 
to
 receiv
e sch
o
larsh
ip
 
(ex
cep
tio
n
 if th
ey
 h
av
e 
b
een
 en
ro
lled
 fo
r 5
 y
ears o
r 
m
o
re, th
ey
 can
 ju
st d
o
 
p
riv
ate lesso
n
s). 
• S
tu
d
en
ts o
n
ly
 n
eed
 to
 atten
d
 
o
n
e o
f th
e h
ig
h
 p
o
v
erty
 
sch
o
o
ls th
at B
rav
o
 teach
es at 
to
 b
e co
n
sid
ered
 fo
r d
u
rin
g
 o
r 
after sch
o
o
l p
ro
g
ram
. 
•  A
ll K
-1
 stu
d
en
ts receiv
e 
ru
d
im
en
tary
 v
io
lin
 in
stru
ctio
n
 
at p
articip
atin
g
 sch
o
o
ls. 
• M
u
st d
em
o
n
strate g
o
o
d
 
b
eh
av
io
r o
r m
u
sical 
in
clin
atio
n
s. 
• 1
-p
a
g
e ap
p
licatio
n
 (fo
r b
asic 
co
n
tact in
fo
rm
atio
n
 an
d
 
p
aren
t sig
n
atu
re). 
 
 
• S
tu
d
en
ts h
av
e to
 
d
em
o
n
strate in
terest an
d
 
can
 ju
st sh
o
w
 u
p
 to
 start.  
• T
o
 stay
 in
 th
e p
ro
g
ram
 is 
m
o
stly
 b
ased
 o
n
 th
e 
[teach
ers'] tru
st in
 a 
stu
d
en
t. 
 
• S
h
o
rt 1
-p
ag
e 
ap
p
licatio
n
 sig
n
ed
 b
y
 
p
aren
t an
d
 sch
o
o
l m
u
sic 
teach
er,  
• N
o
 statem
en
t o
f 
in
co
m
e. 
 
In
stru
m
en
ts 
• D
o
n
ated
 b
y
 fo
rm
er stu
d
en
ts 
•  P
artn
ersh
ip
 w
ith
 lo
cal 
strin
g
 ren
tal sh
o
p
 th
at g
iv
es 
in
-k
in
d
 in
stru
m
en
t ren
tal 
d
o
n
atio
n
s.  
• 5
0
%
 d
o
n
ated 
• 5
0
%
 p
u
rch
ased
 w
ith
 g
ran
ts o
r 
d
o
n
atio
n
s 
• B
rav
o
 started
 th
e p
ro
g
ram
 
w
ith
 3
0
 b
o
rro
w
ed
 in
stru
m
en
ts 
• P
rim
arily
 th
ro
u
g
h
 
d
o
n
atio
n
s. 
• A
 lo
cal lu
th
ier d
o
n
ates 
h
is serv
ices an
d
 
p
ro
v
id
es th
e 
in
stru
m
en
ts "at-co
st"  
42
 
 
 
S
S
N
*
 
S
u
zu
k
i S
ch
o
o
l o
f N
ew
to
n
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
O
re
g
o
n
 B
ra
v
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estra
s 
A
S
*
 
A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
F
o
u
n
d
a
tio
n
 to
 A
ssist 
Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
 
fro
m
 p
u
b
lic sch
o
o
ls, n
o
w
 th
ey
 
h
av
e th
eir o
w
n
 sto
ck
 o
f 3
0
0
. 
N
u
m
b
e
r o
f 
S
tu
d
en
ts 
• 2
9
0
 
• A
lm
o
st 8
0
0
 to
tal.  
• 6
0
0
+
 K
-1
 stu
d
en
ts at 4
 
elem
en
tary
 sites. 
• 1
3
0
 stu
d
en
ts in
 g
rad
es 2
-5
 in
 
th
e after-sch
o
o
l p
ro
g
ram
 at 4
 
sites. 
• S
tarted
 w
ith
 ab
o
u
t 3
0
-3
5
 
stu
d
en
ts, n
o
w
 is ju
st 
u
n
d
er 2
0
0 
• S
tarted
 w
ith
 8
-9
 
stu
d
en
ts, an
d
 n
o
w
 is u
p
 
to
 1
2
0
. 
A
g
e
 
 
• P
resch
o
o
l th
ro
u
g
h
 H
ig
h
 
S
ch
o
o
l 
• K
-5
 
• S
o
m
e P
resch
o
o
l in
 H
ead
start 
o
n
ce w
eek
ly
 classes 
 
• L
ate E
lem
en
tary
 S
ch
o
o
l 
th
ro
u
g
h
 H
ig
h
 S
ch
o
o
l 
• G
rad
es 3
-5
 u
su
ally
.  
• O
ld
er stu
d
en
ts can
 jo
in
 
(b
u
t th
ere are o
th
er 
lo
cal o
rg
an
izatio
n
s to
 
jo
in
 after g
rad
e 5
) 
P
e
rc
en
t L
o
w
 
In
co
m
e
 
• R
o
u
g
h
ly
 1
0
%
 o
f th
e 
stu
d
en
t b
o
d
y
 is lo
w
-in
co
m
e
  
• C
lo
se to
 1
0
0
%
 b
ecau
se th
e 
p
articip
atin
g
 sch
o
o
ls w
ere 
ch
o
sen
 fo
r h
ig
h
 p
o
v
erty
 
lev
els. 
• m
a
y
b
e m
o
re th
an
 8
5
%
. 
• A
b
o
u
t 1
0
0
%
 
V
en
u
e 
• R
en
ts fro
m
 a relig
io
u
s 
tem
p
le 
• F
ree u
se o
f p
u
b
lic sch
o
o
ls 
• C
h
arter S
ch
o
o
l 
• 2
 co
m
m
u
n
ity
 cen
ters 
n
ear n
eig
h
b
o
rh
o
o
d
s o
f 
lo
w
-in
co
m
e stu
d
en
ts. 
R
u
lin
g
 Y
ea
r 
• 1
9
9
4
 
• 2
0
1
2
 
• 2
0
1
1
 
• 2
0
0
8
 
*
S
u
zu
k
i S
c
h
o
o
l o
f N
e
w
to
n
 In
c.; O
reg
o
n
 B
rav
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estras; A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es; F
o
u
n
d
atio
n
 to
 A
ssist Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
T
a
b
le 1
: S
u
m
m
a
ry
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 1
 &
 1
0
43
 
 
low-income children (~30) is located at a church in an affluent neighborhood. If the goal 
of the organization is to serve mostly low-income children, then the convenience and 
relevance of the location may contribute to the number of low-income students that 
participate, regardless of the organization's mission. Three of the four organizations get at 
least half of their instruments donated to the organization. One organization, FAYM, 
instead purchases string instruments from a local luthier that sells them at cost, making 
no profit. Other organizations receive instrument donations from former students or other 
sources. OBYO started with borrowing instruments from schools that had extra, and later 
accrued their own collection of instruments. Half of their owned collection were donated, 
and the other half were purchased using grant money or other donated funds. 
The participants' responses imply that new organizations must decide whether to 
utilize primarily group, individual-based or a combination of both instructional styles. El 
Sistema string programs are inherently group oriented, since the primary modes of 
instruction are sectionals and orchestral groups. The group oriented style of instruction 
causes high teacher to student ratios possible, and this increases the efficiency of the 
instruction in terms of paid teacher time. Even though SSN serves a lower number of 
low-income students, it also provides highly intensive individualized instruction that 
involves the parent more than the other three programs. While it is less efficient with 
dollars spent on teacher time, private lessons allow for very focused instruction with each 
student. A newly forming organization must then decide if high numbers of students and 
thereby group-oriented instruction is the ultimate goal, and perhaps consider if this might 
be part of the mission statement. Other important considerations when deciding between 
group focused or individual oriented instruction is the size and nature of the facility to be 
44
 
 
used for teaching, and what sort of teaching experience the teaching staff have. If there 
are no separate spaces available for private lessons, and the teaching staff has no 
experience with teaching large groups, then small groups might be the best way to start. 
If there is a single, large space available, and teaching staff has the ability to teach large 
groups of students, then teaching large groups might be the best choice. If the 
organization has found a few small spaces to utilize, and the teaching staff has the most 
experience with individual instruction, then starting with individually-focused instruction 
might be the best choice. 
All of the programs interviewed provide multiple weekly classes for their 
students, ranging from two to three times each week, but between them have widely 
varying lengths of contact time, from about 1.5 hours to 10 hours each week. The 
organizations with the longest hours of contact time per week usually are in the form of 
orchestral instruction, and the smaller numbers of contact hours are associated with 
smaller group class size and individual lessons. 
Only two programs offer preschool age instruction: one has a fully integrated 
Suzuki preschool, and the other offers a 30-minute per week general music class to 
preschool age children at a Head Start program. The majority of the programs begin 
string instruction during elementary school years, with two programs (SSN and OBYO) 
starting string education in preschool or Kindergarten and first grade and the other two 
programs generally starting instruction at the third grade level.  
Every program interviewed has different criteria for allowing a student to begin 
participation, but none of the criteria are difficult to meet. The simplest criteria for 
eligibility was to attend a school that the program teaches at, and the most demanding 
45
 
 
criteria involves sharing a statement of income (or similar) to receive services from the 
program. FAYM's interviewee, Dr. Genie Burkett, stated that the organization 
specifically avoids embarrassing families applying for scholarships by creating a short, 
one-page application and not requiring any income documentation. While this may 
increase the number of students that apply for scholarships, the program has made a goal 
to not turn any child away. The same program has understood that the location of its 
services may also be a barrier to student and parent participation, and in anticipation of 
that need, the program is located within the neighborhood community it serves. Many 
parents are highly involved with this program, but if its accessibility was limited and its 
application process cumbersome, parental involvement could decrease. Social service 
research supports this organization's decision to keep the venue accessible to the low-
income community it serves, and by removing other barriers to participation besides cost 
(Austin et al., 2004). 
The programs whose representatives were interviewed were established between 
6 and 24 years ago. The youngest organization (OBYO), however, already serves the 
highest numbers of students, making it a desirable model to imitate if high volume of 
students is the main goal for a newly forming organization. The oldest organization 
serves the least number of low-income students, but meets its own goal of providing 
need-based scholarships for 10% of its student body. Clearly, age of the organization is 
not the main factor in numbers of low-income students served, but the primary goal of the 
organization is. Factors leading to each organizations' growth are shown in Table 2. 
 
46
 
 
S
u
m
m
ary
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 2
, 3
, &
 1
3
 
 
S
S
N
* 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
A
S
* 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
P
ro
g
ra
m
 
sta
rted
 w
ith
 
• 5
 S
u
zu
k
i teach
ers w
h
o
 
w
o
rk
ed
 to
g
eth
er to
 
estab
lish
 a p
ro
g
ram
 in
 
1
9
8
6
 
• D
id
n
't b
eco
m
e a n
o
n
p
ro
fit 
u
n
til 1
9
9
4
.  
• T
h
e cu
rren
t d
irecto
r is th
e 
th
ird
, an
d
 jo
in
ed
 in
 1
9
9
8
 
d
u
rin
g
 a tran
sitio
n
al tim
e 
fo
r th
e o
rg
an
izatio
n
. 
• N
o
 stu
d
en
t n
u
m
b
er d
ata 
av
ailab
le fro
m
 p
ro
g
ram
 
start 
 
• 2
 E
l S
istem
a su
p
p
o
rters w
an
ted
 to
 
b
rin
g
 an
 E
l S
istem
a p
ro
g
ram
 to
 
P
o
rtlan
d
, an
d
 jo
in
ed
 effo
rts. 
• N
o
 E
l S
istem
a in
 P
o
rtlan
d
 at th
e tim
e.  
• 1
 y
ear o
f research
, co
n
n
ected
 w
ith
 
U
.S
. E
l S
istem
a p
ro
g
ram
s, d
ecid
ed
 to
 
fo
rm
 an
 in
d
ep
en
d
en
t o
rg
an
izatio
n
 
• S
p
rin
g
 2
0
1
3
 o
fficial p
ap
erw
o
rk
, 
S
u
m
m
er first fu
n
d
raiser, an
d
 F
all start 
at R
o
sa P
ark
s E
lem
en
tary
.  
• Y
ear 1
: 4
0
 stu
d
en
ts an
d
 4
 teach
ers in
 
th
e after-sch
o
o
l p
ro
g
ram
,1
4
0
 in
 K
-1
 
classes w
ith
 1
 teach
er an
d
 1
 assistan
t  
• P
art o
f th
e E
l S
istem
a A
b
reu
 
F
ello
w
s p
ro
g
ram
 at th
e N
ew
 
E
n
g
lan
d
 C
o
n
serv
ato
ry
.  
• T
h
e d
irecto
r secu
red
 fu
n
d
in
g
 an
d
 
sp
o
n
so
rsh
ip
s to
 start th
e p
ro
g
ram
 in
 
A
u
stin
.  
• In
 th
e seco
n
d
 y
ear th
ere w
ere 6
 
teach
ers, o
n
e fu
ll-tim
e (p
ro
g
ram
 
d
irecto
r) an
d
 th
e rest p
art-tim
e an
d
 
3
0
-3
5
 stu
d
en
ts n
ear th
e b
eg
in
n
in
g
. 
• T
h
e fo
u
n
d
er o
f th
e L
as V
eg
as 
P
h
ilh
arm
o
n
ic w
h
o
 is n
o
w
 retired
 an
d
 a 
sch
o
o
l ad
m
in
istrato
r.  
• F
o
u
n
d
er's relativ
e w
an
ted
 to
 estab
lish
 
F
A
Y
M
, an
d
 p
ro
v
id
ed
 fu
n
d
in
g
.  
• S
tarted
 w
ith
 9
-1
0
 stu
d
en
ts an
d
 1
-2
 
teach
ers at th
e b
eg
in
n
in
g
. 
M
o
re 
tea
ch
ers a
re 
h
ired
 w
h
en
 
• T
h
ere is m
o
re stu
d
en
t 
d
em
an
d
.  
• A
t o
n
e p
o
in
t so
m
e teach
ers 
left an
d
 to
o
k
 all o
f th
eir 
stu
d
en
ts, an
d
 so
 th
e 
p
ro
g
ram
 sh
ru
n
k
, b
u
t g
rew
 
b
ack
 ag
ain
 an
d
 ev
ery
 y
ear 
o
n
e o
r tw
o
 ad
d
itio
n
al 
teach
ers h
as b
een
 h
ired
 
u
n
til n
o
w
.  
 
• Im
p
lied
 th
at h
irin
g
 teach
ers is 
d
ep
en
d
en
t o
n
 fu
n
d
in
g
/ sp
read
in
g
 th
e 
p
ro
g
ram
 to
 an
 ad
d
itio
n
al sch
o
o
l. 
• H
av
e ad
d
ed
 ab
o
u
t 3
-4
 teach
ers each
 
y
ear.  
 
• T
h
e stu
d
en
t d
em
an
d
 in
creased
 at 
p
artn
er sch
o
o
ls (fo
r en
sem
b
le an
d
 
p
riv
ate lesso
n
 teach
in
g
). 
• S
tu
d
en
t d
em
an
d
 in
creases d
u
rin
g
 
en
ro
llm
en
t tim
e. 
 
C
u
rren
t #
 
tea
ch
ers 
• 1
7
 teach
ers: 9
 p
resch
o
o
l 
staff teach
ers, 4
 
m
u
sician
sh
ip
 teach
ers, an
d
 
so
m
e acco
m
p
an
ists. 
• 2
3
 em
p
lo
y
ees to
tal, co
u
n
tin
g
 n
o
n
-
teach
in
g
 staff?
 
• A
b
o
u
t 1
6
. 
• 8
-1
0
, an
d
 th
ey
 g
en
erally
 ad
d
 o
n
e o
r 
tw
o
 m
o
re each
 y
ear.  
• S
o
m
e teach
in
g
 staff is sp
ecifically
 fo
r 
su
b
stitu
tin
g
 w
h
en
 a teach
er m
u
st b
e 
ab
sen
t. 
47
 
 
 
S
S
N
* 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
A
S
* 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
W
h
a
t 
h
elp
ed
 
p
ro
g
ra
m
 
g
ro
w
th
 
• S
tay
in
g
 in
 o
n
e lo
catio
n
 an
d
 
v
en
u
e o
v
er tim
e. 
• B
ig
g
est g
ro
w
th
 w
as w
h
en
 
S
S
N
 stay
ed
 in
 o
n
e lo
catio
n
 
fo
r sev
eral y
ears. 
• T
h
e p
artn
ersh
ip
 w
ith
 p
u
b
lic sch
o
o
ls. 
• O
ld
er stu
d
en
ts in
 th
e p
ro
g
ram
 in
sp
ire 
n
ew
 stu
d
en
ts, creatin
g
 m
o
m
en
tu
m
. 
• C
u
rren
t stu
d
en
ts in
sp
ire o
th
ers to
 
jo
in
. 
• S
o
cial m
ed
ia m
ark
etin
g
. 
• O
fferin
g
 M
ariach
i, Jazz, C
h
am
b
er, 
an
d
 o
th
er fo
rm
s o
f m
u
sic th
e 
stu
d
en
ts ask
 fo
r. 
• F
u
n
d
in
g
 h
as h
elp
ed
 w
ith
 g
ro
w
th
. 
• T
h
e sch
o
o
l d
istrict h
as recen
tly
 ad
d
ed
 
4
 m
o
re elem
en
tary
 sch
o
o
ls, creatin
g
 
m
o
re ro
o
m
 fo
r g
ro
w
th
. 
• H
av
in
g
 a h
ig
h
 p
ercen
tag
e o
f T
itle I 
sch
o
o
ls also
 creates h
ig
h
 n
eed
. 
T
ea
ch
er 
tra
in
in
g
 
• S
u
zu
k
i train
in
g
 is req
u
ired
 
to
 b
e h
ired
. 
• E
x
p
erien
ce w
o
rk
in
g
 w
ith
 sim
ilar 
stu
d
en
ts. 
• G
ro
u
p
 in
stru
ctio
n
 ex
p
erien
ce. 
• P
airs a less ex
p
erien
ced
 teach
er w
ith
 a 
m
o
re ex
p
erien
ced
 teach
er fo
r 
m
en
to
rsh
ip
.  
• B
rav
o
 p
ro
v
id
es its o
w
n
 E
l S
istem
a 
in
sp
ired
 train
in
g
, su
ch
 as classro
o
m
 
m
an
ag
em
en
t.  
• P
ro
v
id
es fu
n
d
in
g
 fo
r teach
ers to
 
atten
d
 co
n
feren
ces. 
• N
o
 certified
 train
in
g
 is req
u
ired
, b
u
t 
b
ein
g
 a g
o
o
d
 p
erfo
rm
er is 
im
p
o
rtan
t.  
• T
each
ers are g
iv
en
 feed
b
ack
, so
 it 
isn
't en
tirely
 free fo
rm
.  
• A
ll teach
ers are ex
p
ected
 to
 ach
iev
e 
larg
e g
o
als o
f th
e o
rg
an
izatio
n
 an
d
 
su
p
p
o
rt E
l S
istem
a p
rin
cip
les. 
• T
h
e w
ay
s teach
ers ach
iev
e g
o
als is 
n
o
t m
icro
m
an
ag
ed
. 
• M
o
st o
f th
e cu
rren
t teach
ers are 
teach
ers in
 th
e p
u
b
lic sch
o
o
l d
istrict. 
• A
ll teach
ers m
u
st h
av
e a state 
teach
in
g
 certificate o
r su
b
stitu
te 
certificate an
d
 d
em
o
n
strate th
e 
p
ed
ag
o
g
ical ab
ility
 to
 w
o
rk
 w
ith
 th
e 
stu
d
en
ts.  
• S
o
m
etim
es strin
g
 ed
u
catio
n
 stu
d
en
ts 
at U
N
L
V
 g
et in
tern
sh
ip
 o
p
p
o
rtu
n
ities 
to
 teach
 fo
r F
A
Y
M
 
C
o
m
p
etitiv
e 
tea
ch
er p
a
y
 
• N
atio
n
al G
u
ild
 o
f 
C
o
m
m
u
n
ity
 A
rts 
E
d
u
catio
n
 su
rv
ey
s su
g
g
est 
th
eir p
ay
 rates are o
n
 th
e 
h
ig
h
er en
d
 o
f th
e p
ay
 scale, 
alth
o
u
g
h
 C
O
L
 is h
ig
h
. 
• C
o
m
p
etitiv
e h
o
u
rly
 rates 
are n
ecessary
 to
 retain
 
q
u
alified
 teach
ers.  
• B
eliev
es th
e rate o
f p
ay
 h
elp
ed
 to
 
attract an
d
 retain
 h
ig
h
ly
 q
u
alified
 
teach
ers.  
• R
esearch
ed
 rates p
aid
 in
 th
e area, an
d
 
ev
en
 aro
u
n
d
 th
e U
.S
. b
efo
re d
ecid
in
g
 
to
 p
ay
 $
1
1
-$
1
3
/h
o
u
r m
o
re th
an
 th
e 
lo
cal co
m
p
etito
rs. 
• B
eliev
es it is im
p
o
rtan
t to
 p
ay
 
teach
ers a co
m
p
etitiv
e rate to
 retain
 
th
em
 an
d
 p
ay
 a liv
ab
le w
ag
e.  
• W
h
ile th
eir rate is sim
ilar (w
ith
in
 
$
1
-$
2
 d
ifferen
ce) to
 o
th
er lo
cal 
p
laces, tax
es are alre
ad
y
 tak
en
 o
u
t, 
m
ak
in
g
 tax
 seaso
n
 a little easier fo
r 
th
eir teach
ers. 
• B
eliev
es it m
u
st b
e co
m
p
etitiv
e h
o
u
rly
 
rate o
th
erw
ise it w
o
u
ld
n
't b
e w
o
rth
 it 
fo
r th
e teach
ers. M
o
st o
f th
e teach
ers 
teach
 in
 th
e p
u
b
lic sch
o
o
ls d
u
rin
g
 th
e 
d
ay
 an
d
 teach
in
g
 fo
r F
A
Y
M
 is in
 
ad
d
itio
n
 to
 th
at jo
b
. 
T
ea
ch
er 
reten
tio
n
 
• S
S
N
 h
as h
ad
 so
m
e o
f th
e 
sam
e co
re teach
ers fo
r u
p
 
to
 2
0
 y
ears.  
• S
o
m
e teach
ers h
av
e left 
d
u
e to
 life ch
an
g
es su
ch
 as 
m
o
v
in
g
 o
r p
u
rsu
in
g
 careers 
elsew
h
ere. 
 
• G
o
o
d
 reten
tio
n
 esp
ecially
 early
 h
ires. 
• S
o
m
e tu
rn
o
v
er w
h
en
 th
e o
rg
an
izatio
n
. 
g
rew
 to
 a larg
e n
u
m
b
er o
f h
ires.  
• T
each
ers leav
e to
 p
u
rsu
e d
eg
rees. 
• P
ro
m
o
tes teach
ers in
tern
ally
 b
efo
re 
h
irin
g
 ex
tern
ally
. 
• P
ro
v
id
es fu
n
d
s fo
r p
ro
fessio
n
al 
d
ev
elo
p
m
en
t. 
• N
o
 sp
ecific d
ata, b
u
t ju
d
g
in
g
 b
y
 
teach
er g
ro
w
th
 n
u
m
b
ers, reten
tio
n
 
m
u
st b
e v
ery
 h
ig
h
 o
r th
e rate 
w
o
u
ld
n
't h
av
e alm
o
st trip
led
 7
 y
ears 
as it h
as. 
• N
o
 sp
ecific d
ata, b
u
t teach
er g
ro
w
th
 
rate o
v
er tim
e su
g
g
ests th
at th
e 
reten
tio
n
 o
f teach
ers is v
ery
 h
ig
h
. 
*
S
u
zu
k
i S
c
h
o
o
l o
f N
e
w
to
n
 In
c.; O
reg
o
n
 B
rav
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estras; A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es; F
o
u
n
d
atio
n
 to
 A
ssist Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
T
a
b
le 2
: S
u
m
m
a
ry
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 2
, 3
, &
 1
3
48
 
 
Discussion of Questions 2, 3, & 13 
 
Questions 2 and 3 examine the history of each program's start and eventual 
growth, and the answers provided differing ideas of what a successful start may look like 
for a new organization. All of the programs began with at least two people with similar 
ideas, and three out of four found some start-up funds soon after. The program that 
started without initial funding (SSN) began six years before it got nonprofit status. 
During those six years, some sort of funding or savings may have been accrued, but 
specific data on this fact was not shared during the interview. For all programs, if the 
founders were not intended to be teaching staff, then usually teaching staff was secured 
around the same time or very soon after. One interviewee, Laura Jáuragui from OBYO, 
said that the co-founder observed her teaching and asked her to join even when the 
organization was not fully formed yet.  
Most of the organizations started out with only a small number of teachers, and 
grew only when student demand and funding increased. OBYO hires more teachers when 
there are more funds available, since students are so easily attained through their in-
school program, and easily retained in the continuing after-school program. All of the 
organizations have multiple employees currently, ranging from 8 to 23. The organizations 
serving the highest number of total students have the greatest number of teachers, even if 
the programs are individual instruction-based. From the participants' answers, the trend is 
that hiring more teachers is usually dependent on student demand. However, if the 
program is dependent on prior funding to teach a guaranteed number of students (like 
when an elementary school wants classes for all of its students), then the impetus behind 
hiring teachers is funding dependent.  
49
 
 
Funding and student demand were not the only characteristics mentioned that 
contributed program growth. Interviewees from OBYO and AS mentioned current 
students inspiring new students to participate has helped with growth. This indicates that 
showcasing current students' participation to prospective students might influence the 
decision to participate. One way to do this is to perform in front of audiences with 
prospective students (which all programs already do to promote visibility), or operate in 
close proximity to them. Operating within public schools was one way OBYO and AS 
are able to do this. Another way to increase growth mentioned by interviewees from AS 
and FAYM was by means of increased social media marketing. FAYM even hired a 
consultant to create a version of their social media website to be more mobile friendly to 
their target demographic which frequently own phones but not computers. One factor that 
only SSN mentioned was that growth was dependent upon keeping their organization in 
one location, and that the best period of growth occurred during their longest tenancy at 
one venue. Location was suggested by Austen et al. (2004) as being either a barrier or 
support to low-income child participation, and in SSN's case, the location changing was a 
inconvenience to all income levels of participation. 
Requirements for experience and training in teaching staff varies with each 
organization. There was no consensus between any organization with regard to what level 
of teacher training they require. Seth Truby, the executive director from OBYO said that 
he prefers that applicants have prior group teaching experience. Hermes Camacho said 
that AS prefers teaching candidates to have excellent performing ability on their primary 
instrument. Organizations like OBYO provide training and apprenticeship on the job 
beyond certain teaching experience criteria. One organization (SSN) requires registered 
50
 
 
Suzuki training, and another (FAYM) requires most teachers to have a state teaching 
certificate. All different methods of teacher selection via training requirements narrow the 
eligibility of who can teach for the organizations, but each organization is able to decide 
for itself how rigorous the requirements are.  
The most flexible eligibility requirements may increase the number of possible 
candidates, but could also affect the consistency of teaching style and classroom 
management. Observables such as curriculum, classroom behavior, and rehearsal routines 
of the groups or individuals could perhaps vary widely within one program if teachers 
have a lot of flexibility. The more consistent the teaching style and curriculum is, the less 
varied the program is overall. Consistency may or may not be a goal for an organization 
however, and variety of instructional styles and classroom management can create a 
unique and interesting educational experience. The teacher training and experience 
requirements are unique to each organization; apparently there are many different ways 
of attaining a successful teaching faculty. Some requirements make teachers easier or 
harder to recruit, but if consistency of teaching style is important to an organization, the 
experience and training requirements appear to be adhered to in the teaching faculty 
recruitment. 
Another important consideration in deciding criteria for teacher training and 
experience is knowing what sort of teachers are already in the community and might be 
likely candidates. One organization (FAYM) began with state licensed teachers and tried 
to switch to a more Suzuki-based curriculum, but the teachers were used to teaching in 
their own ways. The switch to a different pedagogical style did not work well for the 
51
 
 
teachers that were already hired, and the organization went back to the original model 
based on what training the teachers had. 
Organizations agree about competitive teacher pay rates and think that it affects 
the retention of qualified teachers. Half of the organizations pay on the high end of the 
pay scale compared to other local music businesses, and all of the organizations agreed 
that paying competitively is necessary to attract and retain qualified teachers. The 
interviewee from FAYM was unsure how competitive the rate of pay was locally, but 
knew the local range of pay varies widely, and felt that the pay had to be worth the 
teachers' time. Another organization with pay rates the most similar to other local 
businesses (AS) has another strong incentive for teachers to stay: the taxes are taken out 
of the pay ahead of time, and with this convenience during tax season and the pay still 
closely matching local businesses that don't take taxes out, this may make it a significant 
attraction to teachers. OBYO not only pays very competitively, but also tries to promote 
teachers internally before hiring outside of the organization, and provides funding for 
additional teacher training. Opportunities for advancement and training may also help 
with teacher retention. Teacher retention rates were not reported with exact numbers in 
all cases, but numbers of teachers are steadily increasing or remaining at a high number at 
each organization, so this suggests that each knows how to attract and keep their teachers, 
and that competitive pay is an important factor. 
 
Answers to Questions 4, 6, 11, & 14 
Summaries of answers to interview questions 4, 6, 11, and 14 are in Table 3 on 
the following page. 
 
52
 
 
S
u
m
m
ary
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 4
, 6
, 1
1
, &
 1
4
 
 
S
S
N
*
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
A
S
*
 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
S
tu
d
en
t 
rec
ru
itin
g
 
• C
u
rren
tly
 b
y
 w
o
rd
 o
f m
o
u
th
.  
• P
aren
ts reco
m
m
en
d
 th
e 
p
ro
g
ram
 to
 th
eir frien
d
s.  
• T
h
e q
u
ality
 o
f teach
ers is an
 
attractio
n
.  
• T
en
 y
ears ag
o
, th
ey
 sen
t fly
ers 
in
 b
ack
b
ack
 m
ail, an
d
 u
sed
 to
 
d
o
 sch
o
o
l n
ew
sletter 
ad
v
ertisin
g
, b
ro
ch
u
res, an
d
 e
-
n
ew
sletters (all in
-h
o
u
se an
d
 o
n
 
a tig
h
t b
u
d
g
et) b
u
t n
o
 lo
n
g
er 
n
eed
 to
 recru
it th
is w
ay
. 
• E
v
ery
 ch
ild
 h
as h
ad
 2
 y
ears o
f b
asic v
io
lin
 
in
stru
ctio
n
 in
 O
B
Y
O
's K
-1
 in
-sch
o
o
l 
p
ro
g
ram
 b
efo
re m
ak
in
g
 th
e d
ecisio
n
 to
 
ap
p
ly
 to
 th
e free after-sch
o
o
l p
ro
g
ram
 in
 
2
n
d
-5
th
 g
rad
e. 
• T
h
e ch
ild
's d
ecisio
n
 to
 jo
in
 th
e after-
sch
o
o
l p
ro
g
ram
. 
• T
h
ere is a screen
in
g
 p
ro
cess fo
r 
b
eh
av
io
ral read
in
ess o
r m
u
sical 
in
clin
atio
n
s. 
• In
 th
e sch
o
o
ls an
d
 is "an
 easy
 
sell."  
• S
o
m
e d
ifficu
lties retain
in
g
 
so
m
e o
f th
e stu
d
en
ts th
at realize 
h
o
w
 d
ifficu
lt p
lay
in
g
 a strin
g
ed
 
in
stru
m
en
t is after th
ey
 start.  
 
• V
ia co
n
n
ectio
n
 to
 th
e sch
o
o
l 
m
u
sic teach
ers. 
• A
lso
 F
aceb
o
o
k
 an
d
 W
eb
site.  
• T
h
ere are 4
5
0
 m
u
sic ed
u
cato
rs 
in
 th
e d
istrict, so
 h
av
in
g
 a 
co
n
n
ectio
n
 to
 th
em
 h
elp
s 
F
A
Y
M
. 
 
R
ecru
itin
g
 
a
d
v
ice 
• "L
iv
e in
 th
e to
w
n
 w
h
ere th
e 
[p
ro
g
ram
] is lo
cated
."  
• A
n
d
 "co
n
n
ect w
ith
 so
m
eo
n
e 
lo
cally
 w
h
o
 is v
ery
 co
n
n
ected
 to
 
th
at n
eig
h
b
o
rh
o
o
d
." 
 
• "It it's n
o
t really
 a h
ard
 sell" to
 g
et k
id
s to
 
sig
n
 u
p
.  
• T
h
e first y
ear th
ere m
ay
 n
eed
 to
 b
e m
o
re 
in
itial recru
itin
g
 effo
rt.  
• H
av
e th
e g
en
eral m
u
sic teach
er an
d
 a 
classro
o
m
 teach
er o
r ad
m
in
istrato
r h
elp
 
g
u
id
e a screen
in
g
 p
ro
cess.  
• If an
 ap
p
lican
t h
as p
o
o
r b
eh
av
io
r, an
d
 n
o
 
m
u
sical in
clin
atio
n
s, th
en
 th
ey
 m
ig
h
t 
"n
eed
 to
 fin
d
 an
o
th
er activ
ity
", b
u
t h
av
in
g
 
o
n
ly
 o
n
e o
f th
o
se ch
aracteristics sh
o
u
ld
 
n
o
t ru
le o
u
t a stu
d
en
t. 
• R
ecru
itin
g
 th
e stu
d
en
ts is n
o
t 
h
ard
, b
u
t k
eep
in
g
 th
em
 d
ep
en
d
s 
o
n
 m
ak
in
g
 th
e ex
p
erien
ce 
en
jo
y
ab
le fo
r each
 stu
d
en
t. 
• H
av
e ad
m
in
istrato
rs talk
 to
 a lo
t 
o
f co
m
m
u
n
ity
 g
ro
u
p
s. 
• H
av
e a co
n
n
ectio
n
 to
 th
e lo
cal 
sch
o
o
ls an
d
 m
u
sic teach
ers. 
H
av
e a w
eb
site an
d
 a F
aceb
o
o
k
 
acco
u
n
t to
 an
n
o
u
n
ce 
reg
istratio
n
. 
 
S
tu
d
en
t 
reten
tio
n
 
• V
ery
 h
ig
h
 reten
tio
n
 in
 g
en
eral. 
If a stu
d
en
t stay
s th
ro
u
g
h
 
m
id
d
le-sch
o
o
l, g
en
erally
 th
ey
 
stay
 th
ro
u
g
h
 g
rad
u
atin
g
 h
ig
h
 
sch
o
o
l. 
• 8
2
-8
3
%
 b
u
t aim
s fo
r h
ig
h
er rates.  
• B
rav
o
 say
s stu
d
en
t reten
tio
n
 is h
ig
h
er 
th
an
 th
e n
atio
n
al av
erag
e fo
r sim
ilar 
p
ro
g
ram
s (w
h
ich
 O
B
Y
O
 rep
o
rts is 7
0
%
).  
• O
n
ly
 B
rav
o
's v
ery
 "sav
v
y
" fu
n
d
ers ask
 fo
r 
reten
tio
n
 rates. 
• A
b
o
u
t 8
0
%
 w
h
ich
 is ab
o
v
e-
av
erag
e acco
rd
in
g
 to
 O
B
Y
O
's 
research
. 
• H
as k
ep
t track
 o
f reten
tio
n
 d
ata 
fo
r fu
n
d
ers. 
• G
o
o
d
 reten
tio
n
 sin
ce g
ro
w
th
 
rate is stead
y
, b
u
t n
o
 statistics 
are av
ailab
le.  
C
h
a
llen
g
es 
in
 serv
in
g
 
lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
ch
ild
ren
 
• H
elp
in
g
 p
aren
ts to
 u
n
d
erstan
d
 
th
eir p
articip
ato
ry
 ro
le in
 
S
u
zu
k
i ap
p
ro
ach
.  
• M
o
re p
aren
t ed
u
catio
n
 an
d
 
teach
er su
p
p
o
rt o
f p
aren
ts. 
• S
tu
d
en
t ab
sen
teeism
. S
ch
o
o
ls' p
ro
b
lem
s 
o
v
erlap
 w
ith
 th
eirs. 
• S
tu
d
en
ts m
o
v
e aw
ay
. 
• S
tu
d
en
t b
eh
av
io
ral ch
allen
g
es lead
s to
 
stress o
n
 teach
in
g
 staff. 
• C
u
ltu
ral co
m
p
eten
ce o
f teach
in
g
 staff. 
• (Im
p
lied
 stu
d
en
t ab
sen
teeism
) 
• S
ch
o
o
l's p
ro
b
lem
s o
v
erlap
 w
ith
 
th
eirs. 
• S
tu
d
en
ts u
n
ab
le to
 fin
d
 
tran
sp
o
rtatio
n
 to
 o
r fro
m
 sch
o
o
l. 
• stu
d
en
t/p
aren
t co
m
m
u
n
icatio
n
. 
• S
tu
d
en
t ab
sen
teeism
. 
• S
o
m
etim
es a lan
g
u
ag
e b
arrier 
b
etw
een
 stu
d
en
ts an
d
 teach
ers. 
• S
tu
d
en
ts m
o
v
e aw
ay
. 
53
 
  
S
S
N
*
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
A
S
*
 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
R
ea
so
n
s fo
r 
stu
d
en
t 
d
ro
p
 o
u
t 
• T
o
o
 m
an
y
 co
m
m
itm
en
ts at 
sch
o
o
l to
 k
eep
 u
p
 is o
n
e o
f th
e 
m
ain
 co
n
cern
s fo
r th
ese 
stu
d
en
ts.  
• If th
e p
ro
g
ram
 m
o
v
es to
 a less 
accessib
le lo
catio
n
 th
is affects 
o
v
erall reten
tio
n
, b
u
t n
o
t ju
st 
lo
w
-in
co
m
e stu
d
en
ts. 
• T
h
e m
ain
 reaso
n
 fo
r d
ro
p
 o
u
t is th
at 
stu
d
en
ts m
o
v
e aw
ay
. "T
h
e g
en
trificatio
n
 
o
f N
o
rth
 P
o
rtlan
d
 w
ill co
n
tin
u
e to
 m
ak
e 
[stu
d
en
ts m
o
v
in
g
] an
 issu
e". 
• T
h
is co
n
trib
u
tes to
 sev
ere h
o
u
sin
g
 co
st 
b
u
rd
en
s fo
r lo
w
-in
co
m
e fam
ilies. 
• T
h
ey
 realize after jo
in
in
g
 th
at 
p
lay
in
g
 a strin
g
ed
 in
stru
m
en
t is 
m
o
re d
ifficu
lt th
an
 an
ticip
ated
, 
o
r tran
sferred
 to
 an
o
th
er sch
o
o
l. 
• P
ro
b
lem
s w
ith
 tran
sp
o
rtatio
n
 to
 
th
e teach
in
g
 v
en
u
e, o
r m
o
v
e 
aw
ay
 d
u
e to
 fin
d
in
g
 m
o
re 
affo
rd
ab
le h
o
u
sin
g
 elsew
h
ere. 
T
h
in
g
s th
a
t 
h
a
v
e h
elp
ed
 
reten
tio
n
, 
a
n
d
 
reten
tio
n
 
a
d
v
ice 
• K
eep
in
g
 th
e p
ro
g
ram
 in
 o
n
e 
lo
catio
n
 fo
r a stretch
 o
f 8
 y
ears 
saw
 th
e p
ro
g
ram
's larg
est p
erio
d
 
o
f g
ro
w
th
. 
• K
-1
 classes are n
o
t o
p
tio
n
al fo
r stu
d
en
ts. 
• T
h
e after-sch
o
o
l p
ro
g
ram
 g
iv
es m
an
y
 
reaso
n
s to
 stay
: freq
u
en
t p
erfo
rm
an
ces, 
field
 trip
s, h
ig
h
-p
ro
file g
u
est artists, an
d
 
p
aren
ts th
at are v
ery
 su
p
p
o
rtiv
e o
f th
eir 
p
articip
atio
n
. 
• T
h
e stu
d
en
ts stay
 in
 th
e 
p
ro
g
ram
 b
ecau
se th
e teach
ers 
m
ak
e learn
in
g
 m
u
sic en
jo
y
ab
le 
an
d
 cu
ltu
rally
 relev
an
t, an
d
 n
o
t 
ab
o
u
t co
m
p
etitio
n
s, p
ractice 
w
o
rk
sh
eets. P
ro
v
id
es a stro
n
g
 
feelin
g
 o
n
 co
m
m
u
n
ity
 an
d
 self-
im
p
o
rtan
ce. 
• T
h
ere is a h
ig
h
 tran
sferen
ce rate 
b
etw
een
 sch
o
o
ls fo
r lo
w
-
in
co
m
e stu
d
en
ts, so
 th
ey
 
recen
tly
 set u
p
 an
o
th
er v
en
u
e. 
• V
en
u
es lo
cated
 in
 lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
co
m
m
u
n
ities.  
• P
aren
tal In
v
o
lv
em
en
t. 
P
ed
a
g
o
g
ica
l 
p
h
ilo
so
p
h
y
 
• S
u
zu
k
i b
ased
. 
 
• E
l S
istem
a b
ased
. E
ach
 teach
er g
ets to
 
d
ecid
e h
o
w
 to
 im
p
lem
en
t th
eir sty
le. 
• R
o
sa P
ark
s' K
-1
 teach
er u
ses a h
y
b
rid
 o
f 
S
u
zu
k
i an
d
 E
l S
istem
a. 
• E
l S
istem
a b
ased
. 
• M
ain
 id
ea is th
at ev
ery
 stu
d
en
t 
is im
p
o
rtan
t an
d
 sh
o
u
ld
 feel 
em
p
o
w
ered
.  
• G
iv
es th
e stu
d
en
ts th
e 
en
v
iro
n
m
en
t to
 su
cceed
 in
. 
• R
o
o
ts in
 E
l S
istem
a m
o
d
el, an
d
 
co
m
b
in
ed
 w
ith
 S
u
zu
k
i sty
le fo
r 
a tim
e b
u
t n
o
 sin
g
le sp
ecific 
m
eth
o
d
o
lo
g
y
.  
L
a
rg
e-sca
le 
p
ed
a
g
o
g
ica
l 
d
ecisio
n
s 
• A
re m
ad
e at facu
lty
 m
eetin
g
s 
w
ith
 d
irecto
r an
d
 teach
ers 
to
g
eth
er.  
• M
an
y
 m
eetin
g
s h
eld
 to
 d
ecid
e 
w
h
eth
er th
e p
ro
g
ram
 sh
o
u
ld
 u
se 
fix
ed
 d
o
. 
• T
h
ere is n
o
 to
p
-d
o
w
n
 p
ed
ag
o
g
ical 
stru
ctu
re, th
ey
 let teach
ers d
o
 w
h
at th
ey
 
k
n
o
w
.  
 
• T
each
ers are g
iv
en
 feed
b
ack
 o
n
 
an
d
 stay
 in
 co
m
m
u
n
icatio
n
.  
• T
each
ers are n
o
t m
icro
m
an
ag
ed
 
in
 th
eir m
eth
o
d
s as lo
n
g
 as 
larg
er g
o
als are b
ein
g
 ach
iev
ed
. 
• T
each
ers are g
iv
en
 feed
b
ack
 
an
d
 o
b
serv
ed
.  
• T
each
ers can
 im
p
lem
en
t sty
le 
th
at w
o
rk
s fo
r th
em
. 
 
*
S
u
zu
k
i S
c
h
o
o
l o
f N
e
w
to
n
 In
c.; O
reg
o
n
 B
rav
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estras; A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es; F
o
u
n
d
atio
n
 to
 A
ssist Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
T
a
b
le 3
: S
u
m
m
a
ry
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 4
, 6
, 1
1
, a
n
d
 1
4
 
54
 
 
Discussion of question 4, 6, 11, & 14 
These questions dealt with student recruiting, retention, and reasons for student 
drop out. All four organizations do, or have at some point done recruiting through some 
sort of school connection or school advertisement. This suggests that building 
connections with local schools has been part of these organizations' methods of creating a 
reliable recruiting source. All of the organizations' interviewees claimed that recruiting 
has not been difficult, which is good news for budding organizations. SSN no longer puts 
much effort or money into advertising through schools because few spots open every 
year, and word of mouth among parents is the primary method of new student 
recruitment. OBYO has built-in recruitment by offering every single Kindergarten and 1st 
grade student beginning violin group classes at participating schools; therefore, many 
new students sign up for their optional after-school orchestra program at the beginning of 
2nd grade.  
Interviewees from both OBYO and AS report that the student retention rates are 
over 80%, which, according to Seth Truby of OBYO, is above the national average of 
70% for similar organizations. All organizations generally believe that their retention 
rates are good. One reason for student drop out in half of the organizations is that families 
move away, or move far enough away that transportation becomes an issue for the 
student. This is not something the organizations have any control over, and so retention 
has limits. Other reasons for student drop out include the organization moving to an 
inconvenient location, the increase of academic demands in middle school years making 
participation impossible, or the realization that playing a stringed instrument is more 
difficult than a student anticipated. These last three reasons for drop out were not 
55
 
 
common to more than one organization. The reasons for student drop out discussed 
appear to be events that are difficult or impossible to prevent, and not by any shortcoming 
of the organizations themselves. Further research could investigate reasons for the 10% 
difference in retention between these organizations and those with rates closer to the 
national average. 
Teaching philosophy and large-scale pedagogical decisions are some of the 
principles that guide an organization's teaching and hiring practices and affect student 
outcomes. Three of four organizations have history utilizing some or all Suzuki 
principles, and two of those are El Sistema based. Only one of the four organizations' 
interviewees did not report any Suzuki influence to their curriculum and pedagogical 
style. Laura Jáuragui, a teacher for OBYO, (which is El Sistema-inspired) is a Suzuki 
teacher who believes strongly that "there has to be some cross-breeding" between Suzuki 
and El Sistema models for many reasons, but partially because she believes the teachers 
for El Sistema should have some sort of pedagogical training in order to teach children, 
and especially in large groups. "It's an interesting dilemma that some of them are taking 
these teaching positions but have minimal pedagogy training. Some of them teach 
privately. You don't have to have a pedagogy degree to start teaching privately, but one 
thing is teaching a child privately in your home, and another is teaching twenty kids all at 
the same time." Hermes Camacho of Austin Soundwaves agrees that sometimes there are 
wonderful performers that aren't necessarily trained teachers, however he stated that this 
organization tends to seek candidates with strong performing abilities first. FAYM 
changed from a mixed approach of Suzuki and El Sistema to more of a free form 
pedagogical style, but they still strongly encourage parental involvement and believe that 
56
 
 
it helps student attendance. While adhering strictly to a Suzuki based style does not work 
for every one of their teachers, the parental involvement was an aspect that FAYM 
wishes to retain, as is the group-based learning that El Sistema programs inspired. 
Only one organization holds strong beliefs about large-scale pedagogical 
decisions, and that is SSN. These decisions are made as a team with the executive 
director (Sachiko Isihara) and other teaching staff in meetings, but otherwise the Suzuki 
philosophy is as individualized as the teacher who applies it. Two of the three remaining 
organizations mention observation and feedback for teachers, which shows some sort of 
large-scale pedagogical supervision. All of the three remaining organizations express a 
desire for flexibility in teaching style. All together, there are some standard expectations 
and some flexibility in every organization with teaching approaches, suggesting a healthy 
balance between total freedom and supervision. Perhaps this balance may also be a 
contributing factor not only student retention, but teacher retention as well. 
 
Answers to Questions 5, 8, & 16 
Summaries of answers to interview questions 5, 8, and 16 are in Table 4 on the 
following page. 
Discussion of Questions 5, 8, & 16 
 
These questions explore the topic of the organizations and within their context of 
the communities they serve. All four organizations' interviewees report that frequent 
public performances are the main vehicle for promoting community visibility and 
outreach. Relevant but less frequent outreach efforts besides performances sometimes 
include lectures and parent orientation presentations. Other means supporting community  
57
 
 
S
u
m
m
ary
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 5
, 8
, &
 1
6
 
 
S
S
N
*
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
A
S
*
 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
C
o
m
m
u
n
ity
 
v
isib
ility
 
• W
ell k
n
o
w
n
 d
u
e to
 freq
u
en
t p
u
b
lic 
p
erfo
rm
an
ces. 
• In
v
o
lv
em
en
t w
ith
 o
th
er co
m
m
u
n
ity
 
o
rg
an
izatio
n
s. 
• H
ig
h
 v
isib
ility
 fo
r a 
y
o
u
n
g
 o
rg
an
izatio
n
 
fro
m
 freq
u
en
t 
p
erfo
rm
an
ces. 
• L
o
ts o
f m
ed
ia 
co
v
erag
e, lo
cally
, 
n
atio
n
ally
. 
• V
ery
 v
isib
le esp
ecially
 in
 arts 
co
m
m
u
n
ity
 ev
en
 th
o
u
g
h
 
v
isib
ility
 isn
't p
art o
f th
e m
issio
n
. 
R
ecen
t m
ed
ia co
v
erag
e h
as 
in
creased
 th
e v
isib
ility
. 
• W
o
rk
in
g
 to
 in
crease v
isib
ility
. S
m
all 
g
ro
u
p
 p
lay
s at L
atin
 C
h
am
b
er o
f 
C
o
m
m
erce, U
n
iv
ersity
, L
io
n
s C
lu
b
. 
•  D
ifficu
lt to
 g
et tran
sp
o
rtatio
n
 fo
r w
h
o
le 
p
ro
g
ram
 to
 p
erfo
rm
. 
C
o
m
m
u
n
ity
 
in
v
o
lv
em
en
t 
• L
o
cal o
rg
an
izatio
n
s g
et/ask
 fo
r free 
en
tertain
m
en
t at co
m
m
u
n
ity
 ev
en
ts. 
• O
p
p
o
rtu
n
ities fo
r 
in
v
o
lv
em
en
t th
ro
u
g
h
 
w
eb
site. M
o
re h
its after 
m
ed
ia co
v
erag
e. 
• O
th
er arts o
rg
an
izatio
n
s h
av
e 
reach
ed
 o
u
t after m
ed
ia 
co
v
erag
e. 
• C
o
m
m
u
n
ity
 p
ro
g
ram
s h
av
e th
em
 
p
erfo
rm
.  
C
h
a
llen
g
es 
in
 
co
m
m
u
n
ity
 
• N
o
t o
w
n
in
g
 th
e v
en
u
e. 
• S
ch
ed
u
lin
g
 serv
ices aro
u
n
d
 th
e 
ch
u
rch
/tem
p
le lo
catio
n
 h
as b
een
 
ch
allen
g
in
g
. 
• R
eal estate is ex
p
en
siv
e, so
 it is h
ard
 to
 
b
u
y
 v
en
u
e. 
• A
fflu
en
t n
eig
h
b
o
rh
o
o
d
 lo
catio
n
 h
as led
 
fu
n
d
ers to
 o
v
erlo
o
k
 th
eir p
h
ilan
th
ro
p
ic 
g
o
als to
 p
ro
v
id
e tu
itio
n
 to
 lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
stu
d
en
ts. 
• F
u
n
d
in
g
 is ch
allen
g
in
g
, 
b
u
t n
o
t m
o
re th
an
 as 
w
ith
 an
y
 o
th
er 
o
rg
an
izatio
n
. 
• F
u
n
d
in
g
 ev
en
ts lik
e b
ig
 field
trip
s 
fo
r stu
d
en
ts can
 b
e slo
w
 d
u
e to
 
th
e n
eed
 fo
r a lo
t o
f fu
n
d
raisin
g
. 
• F
u
n
d
in
g
 is ch
allen
g
in
g
 d
u
e to
 m
an
y
 
o
rg
an
izatio
n
s co
m
p
etin
g
 fo
r lim
ited
 p
o
o
l 
o
f fu
n
d
s. 
• T
h
eir sm
all size co
n
trib
u
tes to
 fu
n
d
in
g
 
ch
allen
g
es. 
• O
rg
an
izatio
n
s g
iv
in
g
 b
asic so
cial 
serv
ices lik
e fo
o
d
 also
 g
et larg
e 
p
ercen
tag
e o
f fu
n
d
s. 
• V
en
u
e th
at w
as free is n
o
w
 ch
arg
in
g
 fo
r 
u
se. 
E
x
tra
-
m
u
sica
l 
serv
ices 
o
ffered
 
• C
o
n
cert clo
th
in
g
 an
d
 b
o
o
k
/C
D
 
ex
ch
an
g
e. 
• P
resch
o
o
l cen
ter. 
• W
o
u
ld
 lik
e to
 ex
p
an
d
 serv
ices to
 early
 
ch
ild
h
o
o
d
 cu
rricu
lu
m
 fo
r lo
w
-in
co
m
e 
in
n
er city
 ch
ild
ren
. 
• O
n
ly
 m
u
sical serv
ices 
cu
rren
tly
. W
an
ts to
 
ex
ten
d
 to
 p
aren
t 
m
u
sical ed
u
catio
n
 in
 
th
e fu
tu
re. 
• M
o
stly
 m
u
sical serv
ices.  
• L
arg
er o
rg
an
izatio
n
 th
ey
 are a 
p
art o
f p
ro
v
id
es ad
u
lt 
en
trep
ren
eu
r classes. 
• O
n
ly
 m
u
sical serv
ices.  
• M
an
y
 so
cial serv
ice p
ro
g
ram
s in
 th
e 
co
m
m
u
n
ity
 alread
y
 fo
r g
en
eral n
eed
s. 
C
o
m
m
u
n
ity
 
o
u
trea
ch
 
effo
rt 
• M
an
y
 p
aren
t o
rien
tatio
n
 p
resen
tatio
n
s. 
• C
iv
ic ev
en
ts. 
• R
ecitals an
d
 co
n
certs. 
• B
en
efit ev
en
ts fo
r o
th
er o
rg
an
izatio
n
s. 
• M
an
y
 co
n
certs. 
• 2
-3
 lectu
res/y
ear to
 
raise aw
aren
ess fo
r 
o
rg
an
izatio
n
.  
• M
an
y
 co
n
certs. 
• W
o
u
ld
 lik
e to
 start d
o
in
g
 fo
rm
al 
lectu
res an
d
 sch
o
o
l v
isits. 
• C
o
n
certs an
d
 p
u
b
lic p
erfo
rm
an
ces. 
O
u
trea
ch
 
freq
u
en
cy
 
• A
b
o
u
t 6
0
 ev
en
ts/y
ear. 
• A
b
o
u
t 5
3
/y
ear/ 
• A
b
o
u
t 3
0
/y
ear 
• E
x
act n
u
m
b
er u
n
k
n
o
w
n
, estim
ated
 ran
g
e 
b
etw
een
 2
0
-3
0
/y
ear. 
*
S
u
zu
k
i S
c
h
o
o
l o
f N
e
w
to
n
 In
c.; O
reg
o
n
 B
rav
o
 Y
o
u
th
 O
rc
h
estras; A
u
stin
 S
o
u
n
d
w
a
v
es; F
o
u
n
d
atio
n
 to
 A
ssist Y
o
u
n
g
 M
u
sicia
n
s 
T
a
b
le 4
: S
u
m
m
a
ry
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 5
, 8
, a
n
d
 1
6
 
58
 
 
visibility mentioned were local media coverage and targeting some performances to 
important community groups. Two organizations' interviewees reported that other 
community groups may reach out following media coverage, spurring community 
involvement and even volunteerism. One organization's interviewee said that media 
coverage has increased visiting activity on their website and that their website offers 
opportunities for volunteers to help.  
Close community partnerships with other organizations were cited by three 
participants as a method to strengthen their organizations' public image. The 
organizations' promotion of visibility overlaps with their community involvement. Three 
of four participants mentioned that community organizations sometimes ask for musical 
entertainment for their organizations' events, and these organizations agree as often as 
they are able. From the answers, it is apparent that community visibility and public image 
are connected to outreach and involvement for these organizations. 
 
Answers to Questions 7, 9, 12, & 15 
Summaries of answers to interview questions 7, 9, 12, and 15 are in Table 5 on 
the following page. 
 
Discussion of Questions 7, 9, 12, & 15 
Grant seeking practices and suggestions from each of the organizations have some 
commonalities. Three of four participants from organizations apply or recommend 
applying to the grants most likely to be received. This aligns with grant writing 
 
59
 
 
S
u
m
m
ary
 o
f A
n
sw
ers to
 Q
u
estio
n
s 7
, 9
, 1
2
, &
 1
5
 
 
S
S
N
*
 
O
B
Y
O
*
 
A
S
*
 
F
A
Y
M
*
 
G
ra
n
ts a
w
a
rd
ed
 
• 8
0
%
 in
 th
e p
ast. N
ew
 p
ercen
tag
e 
w
en
t d
o
w
n
 as a resu
lt o
f w
ritin
g
 
m
an
y
 m
o
re g
ran
ts.  
• A
b
o
u
t 5
0
%
, b
u
t a sig
n
ifican
t p
o
rtio
n
 
o
f th
e rev
en
u
e is fro
m
 a n
o
n
-g
ran
t 
aw
ard
.  
• A
b
o
u
t 5
0
%
, b
u
t th
ey
 fo
cu
s o
n
 
th
e g
ran
ts th
ey
 are lik
ely
 to
 
receiv
e. 
• C
lo
se to
 8
0
%
, b
u
t th
ey
 fo
cu
s o
n
 th
e 
g
ran
ts th
ey
 are lik
ely
 to
 receiv
e.  
A
d
v
ice fo
r g
ra
n
t 
w
ritin
g
 
• A
p
p
ly
 to
 g
ran
ts m
o
st lik
ely
 to
 g
et. 
• P
ro
v
id
in
g
 p
u
b
lic serv
ices fo
r free 
g
ets lo
ts o
f sm
all g
ran
ts. 
• L
o
cal b
an
k
s g
iv
e su
p
p
o
rt. 
• A
sk
 fo
r m
an
y
 sm
all g
ran
ts in
stead
 
o
f a few
 b
ig
 o
n
es, an
d
 rejectio
n
s 
w
ill b
e rare. 
• H
ired
 g
ran
t-w
ritin
g
 h
elp
 in
creases 
n
u
m
b
er o
f g
ran
t ap
p
licatio
n
s. 
• E
lig
ib
ility
 m
ig
h
t in
crease w
h
en
 larg
er 
n
u
m
b
ers o
f ch
ild
ren
 are serv
ed
.  
• H
ired
 h
elp
 in
creases n
u
m
b
er o
f n
ew
 
g
ran
ts. 
• S
taff can
 ap
p
ly
 fo
r rep
eat g
ran
ts. 
• A
p
p
ly
 to
 th
e g
ran
ts y
o
u
 are 
m
o
st lik
ely
 to
 g
et rath
er th
an
 
ev
ery
 sin
g
le p
o
ssib
ility
. H
ired
 
h
elp
 m
ig
h
t tak
e strain
 o
ff o
f 
staff. 
• W
rite; k
eep
 try
in
g
 an
d
 ev
en
tu
ally
 
y
o
u
'll g
et a g
ran
t. 
 
W
h
a
t im
p
resses 
fu
n
d
ers 
• M
an
ag
in
g
 fin
an
cially
 w
ith
 a sm
all 
b
u
d
g
et. 
• H
av
in
g
 lo
w
 ex
p
en
ses. 
• R
elian
ce o
n
 v
o
lu
n
teer w
o
rk
. 
• F
acu
lty
 reten
tio
n
 rates. 
• F
u
n
d
er o
b
serv
atio
n
s an
d
 site-v
isits to
 
th
e p
ro
g
ram
. 
• M
u
sical p
ro
ficien
cy
 o
f stu
d
en
ts in
 a 
sh
o
rt tim
e. 
• P
artn
ersh
ip
s w
/ p
ro
fessio
n
al m
u
sical, 
ed
u
catio
n
al, an
d
 civ
ic in
stitu
tio
n
s. 
• B
ein
g
 th
e o
n
ly
 o
rg
an
izatio
n
 
th
at p
ro
v
id
es th
is serv
ice to
 
th
is d
em
o
g
rap
h
ic. 
• R
elian
ce o
n
 v
o
lu
n
teer w
o
rk
. 
• S
erv
in
g
 a h
ig
h
 n
u
m
b
er o
f 
stu
d
en
ts (~
1
2
0
). 
• P
ro
v
id
in
g
 serv
ices to
 th
is d
em
o
g
rap
h
ic. 
• S
h
o
w
in
g
 th
at access is th
e o
n
ly
 
d
ifferen
ce settin
g
 lo
w
-in
co
m
e stu
d
en
ts. 
ap
art fro
m
 m
o
re p
riv
ileg
ed
 stu
d
en
ts. 
• R
elian
ce o
n
 v
o
lu
n
teer b
o
ard
. 
C
h
a
n
g
es fo
r 
fu
n
d
in
g
?
 
• N
o
 
• N
o
 
• N
o
 
• N
o
 
B
o
a
rd
 m
e
m
b
er 
selec
tio
n
 a
d
v
ice
 
• O
K
 to
 start w
ith
 a p
aren
t d
riv
en
 
b
o
ard
, b
u
t g
ro
w
th
 m
ig
h
t b
en
efit 
fro
m
 v
ario
u
s ex
p
ertise lik
e an
 
atto
rn
ey
, C
P
A
, fu
n
d
raisin
g
, 
co
rp
o
rate m
an
ag
em
en
t.  
• P
assio
n
 fo
r m
issio
n
. 
• R
eflect th
e d
iv
ersity
 o
f th
e 
co
m
m
u
n
ity
 b
ein
g
 serv
ed
.  
• E
arly
 o
rg
an
izatio
n
s n
eed
 b
o
ard
 to
 
p
erfo
rm
 staff fu
n
ctio
n
s, later n
eed
s 
fu
n
d
raisin
g
, ad
v
o
cacy
, strateg
ic 
o
v
ersig
h
t. 
• P
assio
n
 fo
r m
issio
n
. 
• D
iv
ersity
 o
f g
en
d
er, eth
n
icity
, 
v
o
catio
n
. 
• G
reat to
 h
av
e n
o
n
-m
u
sical 
p
eo
p
le o
f th
e b
o
ard
. 
• T
o
o
 m
an
y
 ex
p
erts in
 o
n
e field
 
can
 g
iv
e n
arro
w
 fo
cu
s. 
• P
ro
d
u
ctiv
ity
 m
o
re im
p
o
rtan
t 
th
an
 th
e ab
ility
 to
 b
e frien
d
s 
w
ith
 b
o
ard
 m
em
b
ers. 
• P
assio
n
 fo
r m
issio
n
, stu
d
en
ts, an
d
 
su
ccess o
f th
e o
rg
an
izatio
n
. 
• P
aren
t m
em
b
ers h
elp
 a lo
t w
ith
 ev
en
ts. 
• A
 lu
th
ier o
n
 th
e b
o
ard
 really
 h
elp
s. 
• C
o
n
n
ectio
n
s to
 sch
o
o
ls fro
m
 b
o
ard
 
h
elp
 (retired
 p
rin
cip
al). 
• B
ilin
g
u
al sk
ills h
elp
 w
h
en
 serv
in
g
 
d
iv
erse co
m
m
u
n
ity
. 
G
en
er
a
l a
d
v
ice
 
• S
tart w
ith
 research
in
g
 
d
em
o
g
rap
h
ics o
f th
e co
m
m
u
n
ity
. 
• C
h
eck
 cen
su
s d
ata fo
r ag
e g
ro
u
p
s o
f 
ch
ild
ren
. 
• C
h
eck
 sch
o
o
l ratin
g
s.  
 
• H
av
e tig
h
t p
artn
ersh
ip
 w
ith
 sch
o
o
ls.  
• G
o
 to
 th
e m
o
st u
n
d
erserv
ed
 sch
o
o
ls 
w
ith
o
u
t m
u
ch
 m
u
sic. 
• H
av
e reso
u
rces fo
r u
n
d
erstan
d
in
g
 
ch
ild
 p
sy
ch
o
lo
g
y
, an
d
 classro
o
m
 
m
an
ag
em
en
t tech
n
iq
u
es. 
• K
eep
 th
e o
rg
an
izatio
n
 stu
d
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60
 
 
suggestions in the previous chapter about finding foundations and granting entities with 
similar missions to the organizations applying. Seth Truby of OBYO suggested that 
eligibility for certain grants may increase when high numbers of low-income students are 
served. For organizations trying to decide between serving high or low numbers of low-
income students, this may be an influential suggestion. Most organizations' interviewees 
mentioned hiring a grant writing contractor helped increase the number of grants applied 
to and the revenue received. It was suggested by Hermes Camacho of AS that a 
contractor could help decrease strain on the staff to write all of the grants. Even though 
these organizations are successful in acquiring grants (usually yielding 50-80%), they still 
have some rejections. These rejections appear to be a normal part of the grant seeking 
process, but should not prevent organizations from applying again, as Dr. Genie Burkett 
from FAYM advised. Sachiko Isihara from SSN said that outright rejections may be 
limited by asking for small amounts from many different sources. This also contributes to 
the organization appearing less dependent on any one funder, which is desirable nonprofit 
finance trait (Coe, 2011). 
Other traits impressive to funders were shared, but each organizations' ideas were 
sometimes different from one another. Some of their qualities that impress their funders 
are listed below and each one appears to have needed an abundance of planning to 
achieve, including: 
• positive observations from funders visiting the program (OBYO) 
• success with a small budget and limited expenses (SSN) 
• partnerships with professional arts and educational institutions (OBYO) 
• a reliance on volunteer work (SSN, AS, FAYM) 
61
 
 
• a high number of students and high student proficiency (OBYO, FAYM) 
• being a pioneer in the community for providing these services to low-income 
children (AS) 
While these programs please their funders, they retain a sense of autonomy in 
their purpose by strongly cautioning against making any program changes to meet the 
requirements of funding. Specific details were not shared, but some said that funders 
don't typically ask for program changes, and it was suggested that the programs would 
rather seek funding elsewhere than change their model to suit a financial need.   
The interviewees explained what where important qualities in prospective board 
members, and three agreed that passion for an organization's mission is the most 
important. Interviewees from two organizations suggested board members should reflect 
the diversity of the entire community (AS and OBYO), and the other two suggested 
diversity in occupation. Some helpful areas of occupational expertise included 
accountants, lawyers, and even a luthier. The roles of board members may need to change 
over time depending on the needs of the organization. For fledgling organizations, an 
interviewee from OBYO said the most helpful roles of the board may be to perform staff 
functions and later serve higher level functions such as management, strategic oversight, 
and public advocacy. To be prepared for the evolution of the boards' roles, it may be 
useful to recruit with the later roles in mind at the beginning, or when replacing board 
members that leave service. 
  
62
 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
CONCLUSION AND NONPROFIT STARTUP CHECKLIST 
Communities and low-income children currently without freely accessible string 
education may benefit greatly from its presence. These communities have the potential to 
nurture a nonprofit organization meeting this need. With the right knowledge and tools, 
string educators may be ready to help found and launch new programs in the locations 
that need them the most. Starting the planning stages early, about a year before officially 
launching, will help prepare a new organization for a successful start. The following 
checklist in Table 6 may guide the string educator during the planning stages. It includes 
many of the typically required steps for nonprofit formation and important considerations 
gathered from the nonprofit startup literature and interviews with four relevant 
organizations. 
 
Nonprofit Setup Checklist 
12 MONTHS PRIOR TO LAUNCH: research, plan, & build connections 
 Research intended community, demographics, and similar 
organizations in the state and country. Find out if anyone 
else in your area is interested in starting with you. 
 
 Decide if partnering with schools is necessary, and check 
school ratings. See which schools need music the most 
and which schools have the most low-income students. 
Useful for free location and built-in 
student base. 
 Decide if serving high numbers of low-income children is 
part of the ultimate goal; ensure the mission statement is 
clear about this. 
Venue and budget will affect this in the 
beginning, but think long term. 
 Think about what venue might best suit the organization 
in terms of size and cost, and at the same time, make sure 
it is highly accessible to low-income students in terms of 
location. 
School/community center/church etc. 
 Start building connections to schools, music teachers, and 
administrators 
This takes time to build, so start early.  
 Start recruiting board members with various expertise and 
develop an early strategic plan and SWOT analysis. 
Recruit board members before talking to 
schools if a board member has a 
connection there. 
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 Observe local string teachers that may be interested in 
being teaching staff. 
 
 Decide what pedagogical philosophy if any to utilize. Suzuki/El Sistema/combination/other 
 Decide what sort of training and experience teachers will 
need. 
Consider what training teachers nearby 
already have, and if asking for different 
training might eliminate too many teacher 
prospects. 
 
 
 
 
Decide if primary instruction type is group- or individual-
based.  
Group based = high efficiency, and 
sometimes greater grant funding 
opportunities. Some funders only donate 
to organizations serving high numbers. 
 
 
SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS PRIOR TO LAUNCH: register, start-up funding, budget 
 With early recruited board members, try to find an 
individual supporter that might be interested in giving 
start-up funds. 
Board members recruited for their 
community connections are helpful here. 
 Find an accountant, lawyer to assist with regulations and 
paperwork. 
 
 Begin nonprofit formation steps in Chapter 3, including 
naming nonprofit, register with the state, tax-status, 
incorporate, insurance, licensing etc. 
 
 After obtaining nonprofit status, start planning first 
fundraiser, and if available, secure start-up funds from 
individual supporter. 
Fundraising event should start small, be 
inexpensive and volunteer-based. 
 Start searching for grants that your organization might be 
eligible for at the state, county, and city levels. Keep track 
of submission deadlines. 
Other local arts organizations might list 
these on their websites. 
 Talk to local businesses about supporting your 
organization.  
Remember that banks typically give to 
their communities. 
 Research local teacher pay rates to consider how 
competitively your organization would like to pay. Decide 
between 1099 or W-2 employees; accountant will help 
with this. 
Having taxes taken out already is 
attractive to teachers. Competitive 
teacher pay also helps to attract and 
retain qualified teachers. 
 Develop a prospective budget with the board for the first 
fiscal year, anticipating likely funding amounts, teacher 
pay rates, and costs of instruments, venue etc., need for 
volunteer time, or donated services, instruments, or 
equipment. 
You might find that the teacher pay rate 
is too high for the starting budget. Adjust 
if necessary. 
 Find an instrument source. Local music shop or luthier 
could be willing to sell instruments at cost, or even donate 
instruments "in-kind". You don't know how many you'll 
need yet, but see how many you can get for free. 
There may be tax benefits for businesses 
that donate. Your accountant will know 
how this could appeal to them. 
 Talk with your board about community visibility and 
brainstorm together how visibility can be achieved 
logistically. Frequent performances may require a local 
event to play at, or a location that needs to be secured 
ahead of time. 
Website, media coverage, performances, 
etc.  
 With your accountant and board, set up system of controls 
for the depositing of money and disbursal of funds to 
prevent fraud and penalties from an audit.  
 
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 Work with board to create funding strategies for 
unrestricted funds.  
Remember that unrestricted means that it 
can be used for overhead and 
administrative costs, and that grants are 
usually restricted to program service 
costs. 
 
THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO LAUNCH: finalize venue/school, teaching and volunteer 
staff, schedule of services 
 Now that initial funds have been secured, recruit teachers 
based on who was observed, who is available locally, and 
what experience the board has decided to require of new 
hires. 
Advertising for staff beyond local areas 
can be done via the Suzuki Association 
website, ASTA, NAfME. 
 Purchase state required insurance, and fulfill city or county 
licensure/code requirements if not already done.  
 
 Figure out student recruiting strategies with board and early 
teaching staff together. 
 
 Decide frequency and duration of services based on budget, 
and develop calendar of classes, performance/outreach 
events. 
 
 Start to finalize specific roles for each staff/board member, 
be sure to document roles and duties in some sort of job 
description. 
Formalizing roles and duties will help if 
an employee later needs to be 
terminated. 
 Update strategic plan with current information if necessary.  
 Keep up research on local grants and deadlines for 
applying. Apply if eligible. 
Do not miss deadlines. Make a calendar 
specifically for grants and funding. 
 Finalize teaching venue/school with school 
administrators/church/community centers that have already 
been in communication in prior months. 
The most supportive school 
administrators will be the most secure 
program locations. 
 
ONE MONTH PRIOR TO LAUNCH: Curriculum, recruit, website, volunteer 
 Meet with teaching staff to plan curriculum and classroom 
management style. Brainstorm the projected learning and 
teaching goals for the year. Consider having less 
experienced teachers teach with more experienced teachers 
before handling their own class. 
Lesson plan templates may help give 
consistency to teaching, and so will 
large-scale classroom management and 
pedagogical ideas.  
  Visit school(s) and do playing demonstrations with staff 
for recruitment. 
Take photos and add to organizations' 
website. Remember that recruiting is 
usually an "easy sell" with similar 
organizations. Be careful to obtain 
proper legal permission if posting 
pictures of minors on the website. 
 Craft sign-up sheets/scholarship forms if students need to 
apply for participation. Ensure information required on the 
form stipulated by granting entities or donors is included. 
Consider non-traditional families in parent/guardian 
required signatures. 
The board needs to agree on scholarship, 
participation, instrument fee criteria. 
Have them help create these hand-outs at 
a meeting after research other 
organizations' scholarship forms and 
deciding together. If there is a fee 
involved, decide where that money is 
allocated in the budget and the 
method/individual to make these 
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• 
 
 
deposits. 
 Have instrument collection ready, preparatory materials 
for first students. 
Pre-instrument materials included, such 
as box-violins, dowel bows, foot charts, 
classroom management materials. 
 After collecting recruited students' sign up forms and 
scholarship forms (if necessary), review forms with school 
staff to select the students the most developmentally ready 
to participate if your program decides to have a student 
screening process. 
A school music teacher and classroom 
teacher might be enough to determine 
student readiness.  
 Launch website Include mission statement, board and 
staff profiles, pictures of recruiting day 
(if specific legal permission to post 
pictures of children is granted). Have a 
donation link and volunteer opportunity 
information. 
 Consider having staff volunteer some hours at the intended 
school(s) to get familiar with the backgrounds of the 
students. 
 
 
FOLLOW UP AFTER LAUNCH: Evaluate, fund, data tracking, plan ahead 
 Meet with teaching staff regularly to see what is working 
and what needs help. Listen to feedback. 
 
 Keep applying for grants and fundraising, hire help if the 
organization has a budget for it.  
Do not make changes to the organization 
to meet funding requirements. 
 Evaluate financial health quarterly, or at least biannualy. See Chapter 3 
 Continue community outreach by performing very 
frequently. Have the board advocate for the organization 
and spread the word. 
Some outreach opportunities happen last 
minute, be flexible. 
 Update strategic plan with board each year.  
 Keep track of student retention rates for interested funders. 
If working closely with schools, consider keeping data on 
participating students' test scores or comparison of 
attendance with non-participating students at the same 
school. 
Just four years of data is enough to show 
a track record to funders. 
 Build budget to pay for continued teacher training, or in-
house training sessions with specialists in community such 
as childhood development personnel or child 
psychologists. 
 
 Create engaging reasons for students to stay in the 
program. 
Guest artists, field trips, performances 
etc. 
 Perform at local events and for other organizations 
frequently (between 30-60 times/year if possible) to 
increase community visibility. 
 
Table 6: Nonprofit Setup Checklist 
   
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