Puffin West enthusiastically continues its support for the hands-on music education experiences for children as well as the curriculum development, resources and support for music education teachers in the state of North Carolina with the North Carolina Symphony, This funding will be used specially to support the North Carolina Symphony’s Instrument Zoo program and the annual Teacher Workshop 
to be held in the fall of 2021. The Instrument Zoo is one of our favorites. As it offers children and families an interactive and engaging and early experience with music. An array of woodwinds, brass, string hand percussion instruments are displayed while NCS (www.ncsymphony.org) volunteers and staff welcome visitors to try out various instruments of their choice. Inquisitive children and nostalgic adults experiment with playing multiple instruments in an informal setting and allows them to create and hear the sounds the instruments they will see on stage.
The Teacher Workshop provides music education programs for learners of all ages, pre-schoolers to adults. Through in-person programing, NCS reaches an average of 70,000 students, teachers and parents annually. When Covid 19 pandemic began in March 2020, the NCS swiftly pivoted to
provide music education programs virtually, keeping their service and music education mission front and center. Programs such as the full-orchestra music education concert, the pre-school Music Discovery program and the Ensembles in the Schools all were quickly converted to virtual, interactive programs. Our grant period with the NCS runs from July 1 2021 through June 2022.
