Copyright Charlevoix Circle of Arts 2018 All rights reserved
Dorothy S. Gerber
The Dorothy Gerber Strings Program (DGSP) has a legacy of providing at no-charge beginning and intermediate strings education to schools in Northern Michigan since 2000. This service is made possible through The Cummings Fund in honor of Mrs. S. Dorothy Gerber, developer of Gerber Baby Foods. The DGSP gives instruction on the orchestral string instruments: violin, viola, cello and bass. While the emphasis of the Gerber Strings Program has traditionally focused on students from 3rd through 5th grade with upper level classes offered at a charge to the families, the DGSP will now provide string instruction from pre-kindergarten through seniors in high school under the umbrella of the Gerber program. As the DGSP transitions into the new administration at the Charlevoix Circle of Arts beginning in the summer of 2017, we declare these values for the future of the program:
The Dorothy Gerber Strings Program is a local institution. For the communities of Northern Michigan, the DGSP is your team in your town. The DGSP provides the funding and resources to deliver music education to your children, but it is your children learning to share what they have learned through performance that represent us all
The Dorothy Gerber Strings Program will provide an excellent musical education. We are committed to hiring quality teachers who deliver quality programs to the students of the area. We will continue to invest in the development of our teaching staff and continue to evaluate our programs so that they deliver the best possible education for your children.
The Dorothy Gerber Strings Program will strive to make music education affordable for all families. Because of the generosity of the Gerber Family and the availability of grants and other resources, the DGSP will make every effort to remove cost as a barrier for any family who wants their children to play a stringed instrument. The DGSP recognizes the high value of the education we offer and desire that families make as much investment in this opportunity as is reasonable.
It is the mission of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program is to make music education available to students/families in Northern Michigan. It is not the goal of the DGSP to compete with band and choir programs for a small niche of musically-inclined students, but to expand the percentage of children and youth who participate in music. We celebrate new participants as well as encourage students who wish to participate in multiple types of music endeavors. However, we recognize the inevitability that some students will find it necessary to choose one form of music education over another. The Gerber Program offers the option of stringed music education where there once was none. To this end, our posture toward other programs is one of mutual support and emphasis on the welfare of all students. We desire partnership in raising the percentage of the area’s students who are active in music and seek collaboration with other music programs in providing a thriving and diverse music education for the region.
Dr. David Reimer
Music Director, DGSP
Fall, 2017
Welcome to the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program