Founded in 2012, the Christa McAuliffe Academy Serenading Strings is a school ensemble comprised of student string musicians that meet after school once a week to learn extra music. CMA’s middle school strings program offers two 6th-grade beginning orchestras, 7th-grade intermediate orchestra, 8th-grade advanced orchestra, and a 6-8th grade Fiddle Class. Serenading Strings is the only after-school string opportunity. Averaging up to 20 students, this group plays lots of music from diverse styles to traditional string literature. On their annual holiday tour, this group plays for nursing and retirement homes, elementary schools, and local stores. It also frequently plays at school concerts, district events (such as Good Apple Awards), and retirement celebrations, and typically scores well at middle school solo-ensemble festival adjudication. They are directed by Ms. Catherine Tummons who started this program when the school opened and continues to encourage students to challenge themselves to musical excellence while pursuing a love and joy for performing.