Lee University was recently awarded a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission through its Arts Education – Community Learning grant program.  

The funding will support a new afterschool string program for 6th to 8th grade students at Lake Forest Middle School (LFMS), offering 14 sessions per semester and starting with a beginner orchestra. Plans are in place to expand the program with an intermediate group as students progress. The project was developed and is being led by Dr. Joanna Pepple, assistant professor of musicology at Lee. 

“The Lake Forest Middle School Strings Program is a valuable asset to our community,” said Pepple. “It is the first program in Bradley County that allows public school students to learn string instruments in middle school. I first started violin in a public school program as a sixth grader, and I am so grateful for that opportunity that provided the spark and foundation for my future musical studies.”  

Sessions will take place after school hours and offer instruction in violin, viola, cello, and string bass. Each semester will conclude with a free, public concert, providing students with performance experience and engaging the broader community.  

Commission funds will support Pepple’s teaching time, preparation, travel, and communication. Additional funds will cover consumable supplies such as strings, rosin, fingerboard tapes, shoulder rests, and endpin holders.   

The afterschool string program is a partnership between Lee University, LFMS, and the Bradley Cleveland Public Education Foundation (BCPEF). Lee and LFMS each contributed funds for a spring 2025 pilot that was successful. In April 2025, BCPEF supported LFMS to purchase two violins, two violas, four cellos, and one bass for students with financial need, ensuring access across socioeconomic backgrounds. Lee will also recruit student volunteers, while LFMS provides space and materials.   

“This program provides a meaningful way for Lee School of Music students and faculty to invest in our community, impacting and developing young Bradley County musicians, and perhaps influencing their future studies in music,” said Pepple.  

Pepple is a musicologist with research interests in the early histories of America’s first musical conservatories stemming from pedagogies of the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. She has published research and has given national and international conference presentations on topics including the hymn composer William Bradbury, Felix Mendelssohn, the Leipzig Conservatory, and Johannes Brahms’ 19th-century chamber music. Pepple continues to perform as an active violinist and violist in various orchestral and chamber opportunities. She has previously taught at Florida State University, Birmingham-Southern College, Samford University, East Carolina University, Cedarville University, and Southern New Hampshire University.  

This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee. The Arts Education Community Learning (AE-CL) grant program provides funding for single projects that use the arts in creative and innovative ways to offer education in communities or non-traditional school environments. For more information about AE-CL, visit https://tnartscommission.org/grants/arts-education-community-learning/.     

For more information about the LFMS string program, visit lfms.bradleyschools.org/ or contact Pepple at [email protected].