The Strings by the Sea

Mission Statement

Strings by the Sea (SBS) is a non-profit organization under section
501 (c) (3) which promotes the music education of under-privileged children. We provide group and private violin lessons to inner-city kids of Los Angeles County (Title I elementary-age children). The children are able to regularly perform for their families and peers, and attend performances by established orchestras in the L.A. area.

Our mission is to provide a structured, organized atmosphere where children can learn, perform, and enjoy music. We believe that by giving children an opportunity to learn a musical instrument and play music with their peers, they will learn that hard work, practice, and discipline will improve their skills and provide enjoyment for them and their families. Furthermore, learning music will promote self-esteem, stimulate creative growth expression and provide a beneficial and rewarding after-school activity.

Program Goals

• Provide free group and private violin lessons.

• Arrange and conduct regular performances for the children's families and participating schools at holiday events and school functions.

• Take the children on field trips to see performances by established orchestras.

• Work with other organizations with similar goals.

• Help kids to obtain scholarships so they can afford private lessons, purchase their own instrument, or attend a music school.

Continuing Orlantha's Mission

Dr. Anton Ambrose and Cezhan Ambrose, Orlantha's father and brother, and the other board members of Strings by the Sea will continue Orlantha's work in Los Angeles and in Sri Lanka.

The program in Los Angeles will continue with Anusha Krishnadasan, PhD, as the new violin teacher. Free group and private violin lessons will be provided for children attending Los Angeles public schools. We plan to develop and expand the program in Los Angeles by recruiting more children and working with other organizations with similar goals to ours.

In Sri Lanka, construction has already started on a Center for Performing Arts which will be dedicated to the memory of Orlantha and her mother, Beulah, at the Good Shepherd Convent in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This "new home" for Strings by the Sea in Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to open on December 26^th 2005, will provide a location for children from various backgrounds to learn and play music. Furthermore, we plan to provide assistance for regions in Sri Lanka affected by the tsunami, focusing on reconstructive efforts of music programs in schools and orphanages.