The Cleveland Orchestra

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Musical Rainbows for Schools
Education Concerts
Classroom Resources
High School Morning Concert
Teacher Workshops
Learning Through Music School Partnership Program
Distance Learning
Guest Artist Visits

Musical Rainbows
For Preschool-Kindergarten Students
Which instrument is bigger – violin or viola? Which can make the highest sound – and why? What’s a bassoon? How many strings are on a harp? Young children will discover the answers to these musical questions and more during Musical Rainbow programs held throughout the school year in the 400-seat Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall. These 30-minute programs introduce different orchestral instruments or instrument families and most are performed by a Cleveland Orchestra musician. Every program includes a lively narrator, accompanist, and interactive, sing-along fun!

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Education Concerts for Schools
Programs for Grades 1-8

A tradition since 1921, Cleveland Orchestra Education Concerts introduce more than 30,000 students annually to classical music in historic Severance Hall. These narrated, 60-minute concerts explore basic musical concepts while introducing students to orchestral repertory with distinct programs for Grades 1-3; Grades 4-5 and Grades 6-8, and are designed with the following goals in mind:

To present concerts of the highest artistic quality
To introduce students to the Orchestra and to its music, and to the role of the audience
To familiarize students with Severance Hall and its rich history
To encourage students to examine the nature, meaning and value of the arts in the community and in the world at large
To provide an opportunity for students to listen to, analyze and evaluate music performances in accordance with the National Standards for Arts Education
To serve as a resource for teachers in reaching the music benchmarks established in the Ohio Academic Content Standards for Fine Arts and complying with the federal No Child Left Behind legislation (NCLB) which recognizes that arts are core academic content

Teachers receive a comprehensive array of free classroom resources prior to the concerts including the Teacher's Guide, The Score student newspaper, classroom lessons from volunteer Docents (serving Cleveland and East Cleveland schools), special CDs of concert music, plus a video broadcast on WVIZ-TV. Those attending a Teacher Workshop at Severance Hall receive extra lesson plans and materials to prepare students for Education Concerts. Each is provided to help both students and teachers prepare for Education Concerts at Severance Hall. Ticket sales for Education Concerts are managed by the Orchestra's Education Department. For more information, please contact the Manager of Educational and Family Concerts at (216) 231-7349 or email educationconcerts@clevelandorchestra.com.

Click here for a complete schedule and registration form

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Classroom Resources for Education Concerts

Teacher’s Guide: The Teacher's Guide provides repertoire-specific classroom teaching ideas for grades 1-3, 4-5, and 6-8. The Teacher’s Guide also reviews the instruments of the Orchestra and includes information about The Cleveland Orchestra and historic Severance Hall. The Teacher’s Guide is free to schools who attend Education Concerts.

The Score: The Score, a special newspaper for students who will be attending Education Concerts, provides feature stories about the Orchestra, background information on composers and compositions, games and puzzles, plus Fan Mail (student letters) and Visual Art Winners (student artwork). The Score is free to schools who attend Education Concerts.

Classroom CDs: Excerpts of the musical pieces to be featured in Education Concerts provide a convenient way to familiarize students with the concert music. Classroom CDs are free to schools who attend Education Concerts.

Video: "Get Ready for The Cleveland Orchestra" features information about Education Concerts, a mini tour of Severance Hall, and student questions by fax or email. Watch the program by tuning to WVIZ/PBS, or record the program for viewing at a later time but prior to the concerts.

Docent Program: The Docent Program provides trained volunteers upon request, free of charge, to Cleveland and East Cleveland Public Schools to help prepare students for Education Concerts. Docents present two, 30-minute lessons before the concert for students in grades 4-8. Docents reach an average of 2,500-3,000 students per year. For more information contact the Education Dept. at (216) 231-7355.

Visual Arts Project: The Visual Arts Project encourages an appreciation of Education Concerts as a visual experience as well as a musical one, and provides a follow-up exercise to extend the concert-going experience. Any student who attended an Education Concert by The Cleveland Orchestra may submit a drawing, painting or collage based on any aspect of the visit to Severance Hall. Winning entries receive tickets to a Cleveland Orchestra concert.

For more info call (216) 231-7349 or email educationconcerts@clevelandorchestra.com

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High School Morning Concert

Each year, The Cleveland Orchestra performs a special concert for Northeast Ohio's high school students. The High School Morning Concert is designed with the following goals in mind:

To feature an exceptionally talented young soloist
To present musical selections which show the diversity of the orchestral repertoire
To introduce high school students to the traditional format of orchestral programs

For additional information call (216) 231-7349 or email educationconcerts@clevelandorchestra.com.

Click Here for a complete schedule and registration form

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Teacher Workshops

Education Concert Workshops

Bringing students to a Cleveland Orchestra Education Concert? Discover the fun of active listening! Led by Case Western Reserve University Professor Dr. Robert Dunn, these engaging, interactive sessions show you how to bring Education Concert repertoire to life before you and your students step foot in Severance Hall. $25 fee covers parking and all materials including lesson plans, poster sized musical maps, and a special CD of musical excerpts.

Click Here for a complete schedule and registration form

Learning Through Music Workshops

Looking for ways to link the arts to the classroom curriculum? Led by national arts education expert Mitchell Korn of Artsvision, Learning Through Music workshops explore general arts integration strategies designed for The Cleveland Orchestra’s school partnership program. Designed to help classroom teachers and specialists new to or curious about Learning Through Music, the workshop features expert modeling of lessons and related materials. The $25 fee covers parking and all provided materials. Click here for registration form and schedule.

Learning Through Music School Partnership Program

This nationally recognized program fosters the use of music and the arts to support general classroom learning in select schools through a combination of curriculum, resources, teacher professional development workshops, and classroom visits by members of The Cleveland Orchestra. (Read the Columbia University Teacher's College assessment summary of the 5-year pilot here.)

Arts Integrated Curriculum & Resources

Curriculum resources include field-tested, curriculum-based, arts-integrated lesson plans developed by The Cleveland Orchestra in collaboration with Cleveland-area elementary teachers and curriculum writers. LTM lessons are aligned with the revised Ohio Academic Content Standards, come complete with all required books and CDs, contain many strategies for assessment. and are available for Grades K,1,2,3,4, and 5 with special K-5 packages for the music or art specialist. To order LTM arts-integrated curricular resources, call (216) 231-7353 or email LTM@clevelandorchestra.com. Click to see lesson plan samples for Grade 2 and Grade 5.

Professional Development Workshops

To learn how to use the LTM curriculum and resources effectively, classroom teachers and music specialists can attend professional development workshops at Severance Hall. Led by Mitchell Korn of Artsvision, the workshop features expert modeling of LTM lessons and explores general arts integration and collaboration strategies. CEU credit is available.

Click here for a complete schedule and registration form

Musician Visits to Your Classroom!

Cleveland Orchestra musicians who have been specially trained as teaching artists present curriculum-linked programs in schools who become full partners in Learning Through Music. Programs are available for Grades K-5, are classroom-based and relate to the LTM curriculum (see above). Call the Education department at (216) 231-7353 or email LTM@clevelandorchestra.com for more details. View samples of musician program outlines for Grades K/1 and Grade 2.

Distance Learning

Distance learning offerings covering a range of music education topics are available throughout the year, including “Meet the Artist” events; Education Concert-linked workshops for teachers; and special instrumental and vocal coaching opportunities. For more information on Distance Learning programs, call the Cleveland Orchestra’s Education Department at (216) 231-7355 or email education@clevelandorchestra.com.

Guest Artist Visits

Our Meet the Artist program for students brings select guest artists appearing with The Cleveland Orchestra during its subscription season into school settings, once or twice per school year. Meet the Artist visits most often take place on Thursday afternoons or Friday mornings, in classrooms vs. auditorium settings. To be added to the list of potential school sites for guest artist visits, please complete and return the Guest Artist Request Form.