The Delaware Symphony Orchestra has years of experience bringing the live music into the classroom. Our DSO on the GO program sends chamber ensembles to perform core curriculum-integrated music programs that foster students' multiple intelligences in learning. With a focus on literacy and math, and an eye to cultural awareness, DSO aims to enrich students' classroom learning and engage their senses with these fun, educational, and interactive programs.
These programs are aligned with the 3rd and 4th grade core curriculum, and are available to schools throughout the state of Delaware.
DSO musicians are also available to come to your school to coach sectionals, lead masterclasses, or hold side-by-side rehearsals and concerts. We also offer a Teaching Artist Partnership that brings a musician to the classroom setting to work on a long-term arts project with students.
DSO on the GO Programs:
Musical Discovery with an Explorer's Twist: A Violin and Bassoon Duo gives a fun and interactive introduction to the upcoming DSO Explorer Concert. Students participate in movement and rhythmic activities, and their eyes are opened to the idea of playing musical instruments. (this program is appropriate for grades K-5)
The Science of Sound: A Viola and French Horn Duo explore the world of vibrations and amplification. Beginning with the human voice-the most ancient instrument-and travelling through the different sound production methods of the different families of the orchestra, students will develop an awareness of how sound is created, as well as its real-life application in making music. (grades 3-4)
Create a Character with Music: The DSO Wind Quintet explores character development through music and the written word. Students discuss themes, moods, and ways of manipulating music to have it tell a story. A lively presentation of Peter and the Wolf will be a favorite! (grades 3-4)
The Musical Melting Pot: The DSO Brass Quartet offers a triptych through the music of many cultures that has made our American palette so unique. Students will discover a mix of genres and styles, with an understanding of some of the cultural history behind the pieces. Students will recognize the power that music has over our emotions. (grades 3-4)
Adventures with Fractions: The DSO String Quartet will guide students through an understanding of how time is divided into parts. With an understanding of simple fractions and their use in music, students will then compose their own piece of music by adding fractions together. The quartet will then play the premier performance of the students' original composition. (grades 3-4) **Special thanks to the Live Wire String Quartet for the use of this program
Each of these programs offers students the invaluable experience of hearing music performed by professional musicians. The programs are created for audiences of up to 100 students per show, and the shows are approximately 45 minutes in length. Our education sponsors cover the majority of the cost of these programs in an effort to make these programs available to any interested schools. Please call now for a rate quote and to book a program.
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The DSO’s Teaching Artist Partnership (TAP) brings Delaware Symphony musicians into its neighborhood schools, providing hands-on musical experiences based on creating, performing, and listening to music in the context of the core curriculum. These programs aim to equip students with the tools to develop a lifelong understanding and appreciation of music. Using music as a powerful teaching tool, core curriculum subjects such as reading, math, science and social studies are addressed with an enriching arts perspective.
In the TAP program, DSO Teaching Artists work in coordination with classroom teachers to develop lesson plans that directly expand upon teachers’ work with the students, and are timed with the curriculum mapping for the year. These programs can focus on literacy, math, or other core subjects. We also offer a music composition-focused program, led by composer Chuck Holdeman, in which students will create and perform their own compositions in the style of this year's recipient of the A.I. duPont Composition Award Winner (Libby Larsen, 2011.) Teaching Artists spend four to six 45-minute sessions with individual classes. With Teaching Artists providing a positive and nurturing environment, students are challenged to express themselves creatively. As a culmination of each program, students present live performances of their original works, and are then treated to a performance by a DSO chamber group visiting the school with a program related to the topics of the partnership.
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COLLABORATIVE DOCENT PROGRAM
Chuck Holdeman, bassoonist and composer, and Luigi Mazzocchi, violinist, are affiliated with both the Delaware Symphony and The Music School of Delaware. The duo visits schools with highly entertaining and insightful presentations. The programs focus on discussing and demonstrating instruments from the different families and involving students in fun and interactive musical experiences. This program is paired with a culminatiing field trip for all participating students to a Delaware Symphony Orchestra Explorer Concert.
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JUST FOR KIDS
Composer and former DSO bassoonist Chuck Holdeman works with elementary through high school students in a classroom setting to explore compositional devices in music and create original pieces.
For more information about pricing and scheduling any of the programs above, please call 302-656-7442.
