Those passing by David Geffen Hall, February 11–13, may sense that something is a bit different. Starting at about 10:00 a.m., area streets was lined with school buses from which pours a sea of kids from around the Tri-State area for the New York Philharmonic’s annual Young People’s Concerts for Schools—concerts that, says Jeannie Oliver-Cretara, the Orchestra’s Director of Teaching and Learning, are filled with “good vibes, electricity, and just a little bit of chaos.” These special hourlong performances—held exclusively for 9,000 local students in grades 3 through 12—are a treat for all. However, for many in the audience the concerts are only part of a grander initiative. Those lucky audience members are participants in Philharmonic Schools, a program that has been bringing music into city elementary schools for more than 25 years. This year the Philharmonic is working with nine partner schools across the five boroughs, serving more than 2,000 children in kindergarten through grade 5.
Philharmonic Schools kids are well prepared. Their experience is enriched by a well-rounded diet of in-school performances by professional musicians, hands-on activities, and instruction in music basics (instruments, harmony, rhythm, melody, and storytelling). They are guided by 13 New York Philharmonic Teaching Artists (TAs), professional musicians as well as educators, who visit partner schools weekly for up to four months each year. Many of these schools are among those who sign on for the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program (VYC), which gives students a chance to create their own pieces, some of which are played by ensembles of Philharmonic Musicians, TAs, and guest artists, and a few that call for full orchestra at the YPCs for Schools.
The lead-up to the concert includes working with a Philharmonic-curated curriculum guide that provides information about the works the Orchestra will perform (this year the concerts explore a wide range of American musical voices as part of the Orchestra’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday), instruments of the orchestra, and the kinds of hands-on activities, games, and craft projects that make Philharmonic Schools so engaging.
Last December, at PS 199 on Manhattan’sUpper West Side, TA Shelley Monroe spoke with third graders about melody. “Melodies have shapes!” she announced. As she played a tune on her recorder, she projected a drawing of squiggles, angles, and arcs, and invited the kids to match the pictures to the music they just heard. The class was thoroughly engaged, but when one eager hand went up again and again, the classroom teacher, Liana Khandji, was particularly thrilled — this girl had always hung back, perhaps because English is not her first language. Now she had found her groove, even stepping up to play her own melodic shape on the kalimba (an African thumb piano).
This transformation would not surprise Suzanne Kaszynski, principal of Our Lady of Lourdes School in Upper Manhattan and aPhilharmonic Schools fan for more than 15 years. “For students whose academics are not strong or who have limited English, music invites them to come out of their shell. PhilSchools teaches students teamwork, critical thinking, and self-expression.”
The program was developed to address declining arts offerings in schools. According to Jeannie Oliver-Cretara: “We’re a city full of rich culture, but many may not be able to engage with it, especially with the rich context provided by our curriculum. This program brings some of these experiences to children who might not otherwise have those opportunities.”
Michel Mok, the music teacher atPS 137 in Brooklyn’s Ocean Hill–Brownsville, which offers both Philharmonic Schools andVYC, also appreciates that: “My students tell me, ‘Mr. Mok, you are the best music teacher,’ but in reality, for many of them, I am the only music teacher they will ever have, and I don’t know everything. The Philharmonic TAs are super-talented musicians who have so much to offer.”
Like PS 199’s Liana Khandji, Mok feels the payoff is seeing kids come to life as they make music: “Most of my students will never go into music professionally, but they learn so much more. They work in groups, they write a piece, and all of a sudden, one of them is singing, another is tapping out the rhythm, someone is playing the melody—and that’s the whole ballgame right there!"
