Outreach & Education

Now that you’ve written the script, and selected and rehearsed all the musical selections, what do you need to know about actually performing your presentation in front of the students? In the third installment in his series, Gary Race takes you through the final process, step by step.

Three sessions will get your presentation polished. The first involves practicing the script itself, and getting all the details in place (where did I put that garden hose??). The second involves blocking the show – getting the stage directions figured out. Gary recommends making a diagram and even using a rubber ball (in rehearsal) to identify who has focus during different parts of the show. Now you’re ready for the dress rehearsal, preferably with a test audience of real children!

Finally, Gary discusses all aspects of the performance itself: how to set up your space, how to introduce yourselves, what to wear, and how to handle Q & A sessions. And of course, it’s important to constantly assess your own performance from all angles.

If you follow all of Gary’s suggestions in this series, you should be able to develop and present a first-class instrumental educational experience, while thoroughly enjoying yourself in the process. Educational ensemble performances should be fun for both you and the students!

Now that you’ve selected a theme and thought about the music you want to perform for the children, how do you go about preparing the presentation and writing the script?

In the second installment in his three-part series, Gary Race explains the process of selecting the specific pieces that will work with your theme, and then writing the script that will connect all the pieces together.

He describes several techniques you can incorporate into your “show,” such as directed listening, audience participation, and visuals. He has some interesting advice about how to do instrument demos and the dangers of trying to “wing it.” Following his directions, you should finish your second meeting with a list of repertoire and a draft of a script in hand.

Now you’re ready for Part III: Rehearsal and Performance, coming in July.

When Yvonne Caruthers asked Claire Speed, Education Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), to write an article about the many educational outreach programs developed by the orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, Claire suggested that Yvonne contact Doug Burden, NACO’s bass trombonist, who participated in a program designed for First Nations children in Kispiox, British Columbia.

Yvonne interviewed Doug about the 2004 tour, which involved a educational kit about Vivaldi’s Four Seasons that NACO sent to every elementary school in B.C. Doug describes how, upon arriving at the Kispiox school, where students from four First Nations schools were gathered, the members of NACO’s 7-piece brass group were greeted “as if we were rock stars” because of all the preparation done by the teachers with a recorder specialist working with the kids.

Doug goes on to explain how the brass group integrated Aboriginal customs with western customs in their presentation to the kids – they were greeted by a welcome song and welcome dance, with the students wearing traditional dress. Best to let Doug tell the story in his own words, which he does in very heart-warming terms.

Be sure to read Claire Speed’s companion article, On Tour with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra: Reaching Out to Aboriginal Children, where she describes all the educational outreach programs developed by the orchestra.

Have you found yourself in the position of being asked to put together an ensemble performance with some of your orchestra colleagues for in-school performances or a community outreach program, and not quite knowing how to go about it?

It was almost ten years ago that Yvonne Caruthers, National Symphony cellist, first met Gary Race, a consultant who was working with the NSO Education Department to develop their education and community outreach programs. She was very impressed with the work he did to get them started. So when I asked her to solicit articles about outreach programs, it was natural that she should turn to Gary to write down the approach he’d used with the NSO. Gary credits his extensive experience with the Head Start program and developing outreach programs for several opera companies for his expertise in this area.

Gary has written an excellent three-part series, leading orchestra players through the process of putting together an educational or outreach ensemble program. The first installment, Ideas, lays some ground rules and describes the first meetings, where players take on various roles (such as the Idea Stimulator and the Conversation Director) to get those ideas rolling. He goes on to present a list of questions the group can discuss to help put together an agenda. The goal is to generate enough ideas that, at the second meeting, the group can write a script for their performances.

Stay tuned for his next two installments: Part II: Preparation and Scripting(already posted), and Part III: Rehearsal and Performance (coming in July).

Have you ever stood in front of a room full of very young children, wondering how on earth to engage them with your instrument? Well, help is here!!

Paul Silver, violist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, works with pre-school children at the Cyert Center for Early Education in Pittsburgh. Paul offers tips and suggestions for how to prepare a session for very young children. He lists some of the tunes he has found to be effective, describes some of the interactive techniques he uses (such as call-and-response), and even includes examples of some of his interactive tools (thanks to Ron Krentzman, Harford Symphony’s librarian, for setting these examples). After reading Paul’s article, you’ll feel much better prepared, and hopefully more comfortable, when performing for young kids.

Yvonne Caruthers, cellist with the National Symphony, interviewed her colleague Holly Hamilton about using music to work with special-needs children. Holly’s son began working with the Tomatis system, which greatly helped his speech – the experience got her involved in working with these children.

She offers some invaluable advice about what to expect when playing for special-needs kids, what kind of music she plays for them, and how to deal with situations that might make you uncomfortable. She includes several heart-warming stories of the children’s reactions to her playing.

More and more orchestras are employing musicians as educators in addition to their traditional role as performers. Educational services range from small ensembles playing in the classroom to entire orchestras taking up residence in a community for several weeks. And musicians have just as many reactions to being asked to serve as educators through the orchestra as there are different educational services being offered by the orchestra.

In this thoughtful article, Yvonne Caruthers, cellist with the National Symphony, explores the history of orchestra-musicians-as-educators and discusses the role of musicians in their community. She offers many insights into the residency programs the National Symphony have been doing since 1992, and describes how she and her colleagues learned to find their own niche (with lots of surprises along the way) in the wide variety of services offered during a typical residency, matching their own strengths with the opportunities available.

Bill Cahn has had an illustrative career as a percussionist, performing with the NEXUS percussion group and the Rochester Philharmonic for many years. Recently he’s written a book, Creative Music Making, on the subject of freeform improvisation, and he shares some of his thoughts in this fascinating article.

The Toronto Symphony’s Adopt-A-Player program has a 4th or 5th grade class “adopt” several TSO musicians, with the goal of creating a new piece of music in five weeks. Bill explains how the program works and features material from a Handbook written by TSO clarinetist/composer Raymond Luedeke. Musicians, symphony staff, and volunteers all work with the students to create a musical/theatrical piece.

Bill then describes how he used improvisational techniques with Toronto Symphony musicians, staff, and volunteers during an Adopt-A-Player orientation session, to prepare them for working with the kids. For some of the players, it was the first time they’d ever created a freeform piece!

To complement her article about orchestra residencies and education programs, Yvonne Caruthers, NSO cellist, asked her Music Director, Leonard Slatkin, to share his thoughts about orchestras and their role in music education. “Where Did the Music Go?” is a personal essay about the role orchestral music can play in a child’s inner development, opening doors to what is to come and letting the imagination flourish!

Yvonne Caruthers, cellist with the National Symphony, has been involved with her orchestra’s Education Department for many years. She also designs programs for the Smithsonian’s education branch, and has many exciting ideas to share about how orchestra musicians can develop and enjoy educational and outreach programs.

In her introductory article, Yvonne presents a brief history of how educational services and orchestral residencies in under-served communities were introduced to major orchestras. She goes on to describe some of her own and her colleagues’ first experiences with an orchestra residency in Alaska – they were hit by some pretty tough questions from the 5th & 6th graders! National Symphony musicians have been through several residencies in the past few years, and Yvonne offers her insights on how to make them rewarding for both the students and the orchestra players.

Yvonne has been interviewing and soliciting articles from colleagues around North America regarding orchestral education and outreach programs, and has a wonderful collection of articles in the pipeline. Please contact us if you’d like to share your own orchestra’s experiences, or if you have any questions about outreach programs.