About Us

K2K Strings is short for Kid to Kid Strings, an organization that brings together student instructors with students who need instructors. We cannot imagine our lives without music in it and we want to help other kids improve their skills and increase their enjoyment of playing music

Study after study has shown that music education improves concentration, happiness and ... test scores. In these crazy times right now we feel we really need the first two very badly.

Want to learn with us?

If you are a string student who needs a teacher this year, please contact us. Our summer model was (and always will be) to offer free virtual lessons, especially for Title I students. During the school year some of our high school Ambassadors have agreed to stay on to teach for a nominal fee. In these times when part-time jobs are hard to come by, we hope you will understand and support the dedication and time put in by our experienced Ambassadors.

Please note: we are not a substitute for your regular teacher. If you can take lessons with your private teacher, please do! That is their livelihood and we believe that the very best way to learn music is with a trained teacher if at all possible.

Our program is to bridge a gap that is there now due to these trying times. We don't want financial instability to affect a child's ability to learn music.

Want to teach with us?

Please contact us if you are an experienced string player and want to join our team of Ambassadors.

the founders

Keshav

Keshav is a Senior at LASA and is Concertmaster of the LASA Honors Orchestra. He has been first violin in the Region 18 Full Orchestra for the past 6 years and this year is the Concertmaster of the TMEA Region 18 High School Symphony Orchestra. He has qualified for State Solo and Ensemble and was AISD's Best in Class two years running. He is Concertmaster of the Austin Youth Symphony Orchestra and is a two time member of the TMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra. Keshav was named as a 2020 Texas Young Master by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust. In the Summer of 2020 he was immersed in music at the Heifetz International Music Institute studying with Mr. Jan Sloman. The Young Master grant also enabled him to study with Dr. James Stern (UMD) and continue studying advanced repertoire with soloist Mr. William Hagen. Keshav was named a 2021 National YoungArts Winner, 2022 National YoungArts Honorable Mention, as well as a member of the 2021 & 2022 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). The summer of 2021 he spent making wonderful friends and fabulous music in Purchase, NY, culminating in this performance with the NYO-USA. The summer of 2022 NYO-USA will be performing at Carnegie Hall and then touring Europe.

Keshav will be joining Northwestern University in the Fall to pursue dual degrees in Music (Violin Performance) and Neuroscience.

kavya

Kavya is a Senior at St. Andrew's and has been a member of the Region 18 Full Orchestra every year since 6th grade. She plays with the Austin Youth Symphony Orchestra and has twice been a member of the TPSMEA All-State Orchestra. She had her first solo recital in February 2020, just before Covid made us all homebound. Last summer Kavya attended the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, studying with Prof. Carolyn Huebl. Kavya leads the Austin chapter of Harmonies for the Elderly with Keshav.

This fall Kavya will be heading across the border to attend the University of Waterloo to do a BA Honours Co-op with a Minor in Music.

The LESSONS

How does it work?

Lessons will be held on Zoom once a week for 30 mins and they will be FREE! We have a curriculum to follow for techniques, loosely following the Suzuki books and scales books. If you have orchestra music or Region cuts for next year that you would like to work on, that's great, too.

At the end of each lesson the parent & student will get

At the end of each lesson the parent & student will get the video recording of the class as well as detailed notes on what was covered and what to practice.

This is typically a summer program, but as we found last year, some teacher-student pairs decide to continue through the school year.

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privacy

How does it work?

Since K2K involves kids teaching kids, we have policies in place to ensure everyone is safe and comfortable online. All lessons will be recorded and the student's parent/guardian will get a copy of it following the lesson. If you prefer to have a joint lesson with your friend from orchestra, that can be arranged, but we need to be in touch with them and their guardians, too.

references

How does it work?

references

We are undertaking this project with the guidance of four local middle and high school orchestra directors. We are happy to provide references.