Learning with the Phil
Education Outreach
The Michigan Philharmonic’s CLASSical Music Outreach Program has brought classical music to schools in southeast Michigan for over twenty years.
CLASSical Music Outreach Program
This unique and impactful program introduces 3rd and 4th graders to the world of classical music and the instruments of the orchestra. It is designed to work in conjunction with school music programs, where students will begin selecting instruments to play in the next year or two.
The 3rd grade program consists of an in-class demonstration by a quintet of professional Michigan Philharmonic musicians, who will showcase string, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. This live performance teaches students about the various instrument families of the orchestra, how to recognize individual instruments, and how each instrument produces its sound.
The 4th grade program consists of one in-class demonstration with a solo Michigan Philharmonic musician. This session gives students a preview of the music they will be hearing at the upcoming Koncert for Kids, which takes place in the spring.
The Koncert for Kids is a classical music concert given by the Michigan Philharmonic during the school day, designed specifically for 4th grade students. During this concert, students hear various pieces of music and learn about different instrument families, composers, the composition process, and how to conduct an orchestra. Schools may opt to integrate their 4th grade recorder programs with the Koncert for Kids in an orchestral play-along to “Ode to Joy.”
Our program, with live performances from professional musicians, meets and surpasses the Michigan Standards & Benchmarks for Elementary Music, which include:
- With teacher guidance, students will use music vocabulary to analyze, describe, and evaluate music of various styles.
- Describe how elements of music are used in examples from world cultures, using music performed and presented in 3rd grade and 4th grade.
- Discuss the various rationales for using music in daily experiences in 3rd and 4th grade.
- Demonstrate audience appropriate behavior for the context and style of music presented and performed in 3rd grade and 4th grade.
- Describe distinguishing instrumentation of music genres and styles from various cultures in 4th grade.
- Observe and identify cross-curricular connections within the 4th grade curriculum.
For more information, scheduling, and pricing, contact info@michiganphil.org.