Follow the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s comprehensive music education path consisting of the following programs (in sequential order):
Instrument Zoo
Instrument-Making Workshop
Small Ensemble Performances
Master Teaching Mentors
Artists in Residence
Chamber Orchestra concert;
and all followed up with a full-orchestra Lincoln Financial Discovery Concert.
A Symphony At… Concert (also see Mentoring Programs) provides a continuation of the sequence for middle and high school students.
Each of these programs may also be utilized individually to give students an exciting music education experience. Please book programs six weeks in advance.
Musical Pathways’ theme for all programming: Numeracy
Download Symphony In the Schools Lesson Plans
Instrument Zoo
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra provides students with the opportunity to bang, blow, pluck and strike real instruments with the help of the HSO “Zoo Keepers.” Each participant receives a booklet with activities to enjoy at home.
Age Level: Pre-K to Grade 4
Location: Schools, libraries, and community centers
Audience: 70 children per session
Instrument-Making Workshop
Children assemble, decorate, and play simple musical instruments, such as straw bassoons, rice shakers, and hose trumpets, from common every day items. Construction materials are provided. Corresponding “real” instruments are used as examples and students may try these out at theend of the session.
Age Level: Kindergarten through Grade 4
Location: Schools, libraries, and community centers
Audience: 70 students per session
Small Ensemble Presentations
An HSO ensemble captivates the students in either an intimate classroom setting or an assembly performance. Musicians demonstrate the instruments of their ensemble and present a secondary musical theme with engaging activities appropriate to the audience size. Ensemble programs are preceded by teaching materials and student study materials tied to CMT strands.
Location: Schools, libraries, and community centers
Grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-12, adult
Classroom Audience: up to 60 students
Assembly Audience: up to 250 students
Program Length: 45 to 50 minutes
Available Ensembles:
The Chimera String Quartet
Experience the magic of math in music! The Chimera Quartet will show how different patterns repeat in music in ways that might be surprising.
Musicians: Martha Kayser, Deborah Tyler, Sharon Dennison, Jeffrey Krieger
The A Piacere String Quartet
“Mathematics is music for the mind. Music is mathematics for the soul.” – anonymous. This program will explore the connections between math and music through an interactive program that examines tempo, meter, and patterns in various musical forms.
Musicians: Karin Fagerburg, Jaroslaw Lis, Michael Wheeler, Eric Dahlin
The Voyager String Quartet
Join us on an around the world tour to discover how the tempos and rhythms of the music change our perceptions of different cultures.
Musicians: Candace Lammers, Lu Sun, Patricia Vance, Peter Zay
The “Woodwind Express” Quartet
Explore the Russian masterpiece “Pictures at an Exhibition” to discover the numerical concepts of tempo, rhythm, and melody.
Musicians: Lou Lazzerini, Tamar Beach Wells, Barbara Hopkins, Ron Krentzman
The Five “Tet”
Learn the vocabulary and numeric equivalent for solo, duo, trio, and quartet as we build our way to a quintet. Time signatures (fractions) and their accompanying beat patterns will be interactively explored. Ordinal concepts are yet another feature of this program, focusing students’ listening to discover who played first, second, third, fourth, or fifth.
Musicians: Greig Shearer, Heather Taylor, Curt Blood, Rebecca Noreen, Emery Tapley
The Classical Jazz Ensemble
This highly popular ensemble combines classical and jazz music while exploring the component of music that we all feel in our bodies: the BEAT. Music that has different beat patterns will be performed and explained. Active audience participation is woven throughout the presentation.
Musicians: Gene Bozzi, Rick Rozie, Mike Pollard, Walter Gwardyak, Scott McIntosh, George Sanders
Master Teaching Mentor
Need additional assistance with your string program? Let our Teaching Artist visit your school for one or a series of 50-minute sessions to provide master classes and workshops to your student ensembles.
Musician: Lisa Rautenberg
Artists in Residence
This program is custom designed to meet the individual needs of the host school. Tailored as an enhancement to established in-school programs; students receive hands-on opportunities to perform for and with the expert, professional musicians from one of the established in-school ensembles of your choosing. Multiple visits by your selected ensemble provide intensive individual and sectional coaching which is central to the students’ artistic growth as they progress toward a culminating concert where they perform side-by-side with their mentors.
Chamber Orchestra Concerts
The Hartford Symphony Chamber Orchestra, led by guest conductor Matthew Aubin, presents a lively, interactive program highlighting the families of the orchestra while centering on the theme of numeracy. This 50-minute program is designed to be entertaining and informative at the same time. Chamber programs are preceded by appropriate teacher/student study materials tailored to appropriate CMT strands.
Age Level: 2-12
Location: School auditoriums, gymnasiums, libraries, and community centers
Audience: 300-400 students per session
For Additional Information and Booking Contact:
Sarah Hopkins, Education and Community Programs Manager
email: shopkins@hartfordsymphony.org telephone: 860-760-7328
or
Emery Tapley, Director of Education and Community Programs
email: etapley@hartfordsymphony.org telephone: 860-760-7308