09
Feb
2016
Students Inspire Students by Showcasing the Youth Symphony Orchestra
If you see the many dozens of school buses converging in downtown Davenport on Tuesday, February 23, you’ll know it’s the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Day. An enduring Quad Cities tradition continues this year with the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra performing for 6000 fourth and fifth graders. 94 area schools will fill the Adler Theatre three times over.
Symphony Day has developed into a robust program that includes pre-performance education along with the QCSO Youth Symphony inspiring an audience of students through the performance of five carefully selected pieces by composers from America, Spain, France, and Russia. Through successful partnerships with schools from across the region, music teachers are provided with a resource guide that helps to educate and engage participants before they arrive for the performances. (See link to resource guide below.) This year’s program is entitled Orchestral Storytelling, which explores how composers use musical devices and techniques to tell stories and convey emotion.
QCSO Symphony Day “was so well done. The lessons were engaging for students and they were able to appreciate the concert so much because of the work that was put into the program. I was also very impressed by the orchestra”, shared Brittany Harris, Riverdale Elementary School General Music Teacher.
Youth Symphony Orchestra violinist Hannah Trudell said, “I remember when I was in fourth grade and attended Symphony Day…and I wanted to be just like the musicians on the stage. Symphony Day is something I will never forget.”
“The Quad City Symphony Orchestra and its dozens of volunteers consider it a privilege to be able to inspire our region’s young people with Symphony Day’s age-appropriate orchestral engagement and education, all while supporting the work of the music educators with whom we partner throughout the year”, added Benjamin Klemme, QCSO Associate Conductor and Youth Ensembles Music Director.
The three Symphony Day concerts at the Adler Theatre on Tuesday, February 23 are at 9:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
For more information, visit www.qcso.org
Teacher Resource Guide (See Dr. Klemme’s open letter to educators.)
https://qcso.org/documents/
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