Symphony Goes to School is presented in partnership with University of Iowa Arts Share. The program is a field trip for all fourth graders in the district to the University of Iowa’s Voxman Music Building to experience a live performance by the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra. The performance is thoughtfully programmed with a variety of musical styles and pieces intended to appeal to the students. Arts Share provides materials in advance of the performance to help familiarize the students with the orchestra, the music to be performed, and appropriate audience behavior.
Music in the Schools brings instrumental ensembles from Orchestra Iowa to each of the district’s elementary schools to perform for first, second, and third graders. First graders hear a performance by a brass quintet. Second graders hear a woodwind quintet and third graders hear a string quartet. The half-hour performances are designed to appeal to elementary-aged children and each feature demonstration and discussion of the instruments in the ensemble. The performances link directly to the general music curriculum as students learn to identify orchestral instruments by both sight and sound.
