The University of South Carolina String Project, now in its 44thyear, has won national recognition, including the Verner Award and a documentary on South Carolina ETV celebrating the 20th anniversary of the program. When the University of South Carolina String Project was founded in 1974 there was just one small string program in the Columbia metropolitan area. Now all five school districts in the Columbia area have large and active string programs, with orchestras in every high school and six regional youth orchestras.

The USC String Project has had a major impact in a city with no previous tradition for orchestral music in the schools and little interest in the arts. Initially, the program provided competent young teachers and well-trained string students. Eventually, the large numbers of children playing string instruments created a critical mass and the parents demanded programs in their own local schools.