MOBILE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA RECEIVES BANK OF AMERICA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ORCHESTRA EDUCATION
Newswire Services
January 09, 2008
MOBILE, Ala. -- The Mobile Symphony Orchestra (MSO), under Music Director Scott Speck, has long received accolades for its musical excellence – attracting such world-renowned artists as cellist Yo Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman and, on March 20, violinist Joshua Bell. Equally applauded, however, are the orchestra’s educational programs, with the League of American Orchestras joining the MSO’s ranks of admirers when it recently awarded the orchestra a Bank of America Award for Excellence in Orchestra Education.
Nationwide only two orchestras received this honor this year: the MSO, for its “Preludes” program serving 7000 first- through fifth-grade students in ten elementary schools throughout the Mobile Bay area; and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, for its Elementary School Partners Program.
The 2007 Bank of America Awards honor excellence in programs in which orchestras partner with elementary schools to provide music education programs for underserved children. Additionally, the awards help the League to identify best practices in the orchestra field and to share information with its membership about outstanding orchestra education programs. Through a grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, each of the honored orchestras will receive an award of $7,500.
We are pleased to honor both orchestras for the important work that they have accomplished in this growing area of orchestra activity,” says Polly Kahn, the League’s Vice President for Learning and Leadership Development.
Numerous studies validate the important role arts education plays in a child’s academic and professional success,” adds Rena M. DeSisto, Arts and Culture Executive, Bank of America. “Bank of America is pleased to once again work with the League of American Orchestras on this important project that not only recognizes local organizations for their good work, but also provides valuable resources to expand arts education for underserved youth.”
Begun in 1999, with the participation of three public elementary schools, Preludes provides weekly music classes for 1,250 students in grades one and two; weekly string classes for 150 students in grades three to five; in-school performances by a string quartet for 5,000 students in grades K through five; Young People’s Concerts attended by 500 students each year in grades K through eight; and a Big Red Ticket program that allows participating students to attend a Mobile Symphony concert for free when accompanied by a family member. Students in the participating schools range from 9 to 88 percent minority, and the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch ranges from 11 to 92 percent.
Obviously, when there are so many superb orchestra education programs across the country, it’s a thrill and tremendous honor to be selected for the Bank of America Award,” says Sarah Wright, Education Director of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. “But to stand beside an orchestra as renowned as the Los Angeles Philharmonic is especially exciting and gratifying.”
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra’s educational activities do not stop with its Preludes program, however. On Wednesday, January 23, the orchestra’s Young People’s Concert Series will present a “Musical Pizza Party” for students and their teachers at 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. at the Mobile Civic Center Theater.
The children will learn that, believe it or not, classical music can be just like pizza,” explains Stephen Hedrick, Executive Director of the MSO. “You start with a plain cheese pizza theme and then add your favorite taste-tempting variations.”
Scott Speck will conduct the concerts, which are programmed especially for students from Kindergarten through Middle School and will feature such works as Aaron Copland’s Variations on a Shaker Melody, movement 2, Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3, Finale Theme and Variations, and Haydn’s Surprise Symphony.
It’s great to win an award,” says Wright. “But concerts like a Musical Pizza Party remind me that the real reward is seeing the smile on the children’s faces as they play an instrument or attend one of our performances. You realize that great music just might become a part of their life forever.”
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1970 as the Symphony Concerts of Mobile. Today, the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, under Music Director Scott Speck, is the premier producer of live symphonic music in the Gulf Coast region. It is committed to enhancing the lives of every member of the community by achieving the highest standards in live symphonic music and music education. To learn more about the MSO, its concerts and programs, visit www.mobilesymphony.org.
The orchestra is able to present the “Musical Pizza Party,” thanks to the generosity of the Josephine Larkins Foundation. For reservations or information, call 251.432.2064. The Mobile Civic Theater is located at 401 Civic Center Drive in Mobile.
Founded in 1942, and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League of American Orchestras leads, encourages, and supports America’s orchestras while communicating to the public the essential value and cultural importance of orchestras in their communities and the vitality of the music they perform. The League provides a wealth of services, meaningful information, learning and leadership opportunities, and grassroots advocacy to its diverse membership, which encompasses nearly 1,000 member symphony, chamber, youth, and collegiate orchestras of all sizes, and links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers, board members, volunteers, staff members, and business partners. Visit www.americanorchestras.org to learn more.
Bank of America has embarked on an unprecedented 10-year goal to give $1.5 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the quality and vitality of their neighborhoods. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2007, making the bank one of the most generous corporate donors in the world. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contribute more than 500,000 hours each year to improve the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
Nationwide only two orchestras received this honor this year: the MSO, for its “Preludes” program serving 7000 first- through fifth-grade students in ten elementary schools throughout the Mobile Bay area; and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, for its Elementary School Partners Program.
The 2007 Bank of America Awards honor excellence in programs in which orchestras partner with elementary schools to provide music education programs for underserved children. Additionally, the awards help the League to identify best practices in the orchestra field and to share information with its membership about outstanding orchestra education programs. Through a grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, each of the honored orchestras will receive an award of $7,500.
We are pleased to honor both orchestras for the important work that they have accomplished in this growing area of orchestra activity,” says Polly Kahn, the League’s Vice President for Learning and Leadership Development.
Numerous studies validate the important role arts education plays in a child’s academic and professional success,” adds Rena M. DeSisto, Arts and Culture Executive, Bank of America. “Bank of America is pleased to once again work with the League of American Orchestras on this important project that not only recognizes local organizations for their good work, but also provides valuable resources to expand arts education for underserved youth.”
Begun in 1999, with the participation of three public elementary schools, Preludes provides weekly music classes for 1,250 students in grades one and two; weekly string classes for 150 students in grades three to five; in-school performances by a string quartet for 5,000 students in grades K through five; Young People’s Concerts attended by 500 students each year in grades K through eight; and a Big Red Ticket program that allows participating students to attend a Mobile Symphony concert for free when accompanied by a family member. Students in the participating schools range from 9 to 88 percent minority, and the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch ranges from 11 to 92 percent.
Obviously, when there are so many superb orchestra education programs across the country, it’s a thrill and tremendous honor to be selected for the Bank of America Award,” says Sarah Wright, Education Director of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. “But to stand beside an orchestra as renowned as the Los Angeles Philharmonic is especially exciting and gratifying.”
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra’s educational activities do not stop with its Preludes program, however. On Wednesday, January 23, the orchestra’s Young People’s Concert Series will present a “Musical Pizza Party” for students and their teachers at 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. at the Mobile Civic Center Theater.
The children will learn that, believe it or not, classical music can be just like pizza,” explains Stephen Hedrick, Executive Director of the MSO. “You start with a plain cheese pizza theme and then add your favorite taste-tempting variations.”
Scott Speck will conduct the concerts, which are programmed especially for students from Kindergarten through Middle School and will feature such works as Aaron Copland’s Variations on a Shaker Melody, movement 2, Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3, Finale Theme and Variations, and Haydn’s Surprise Symphony.
It’s great to win an award,” says Wright. “But concerts like a Musical Pizza Party remind me that the real reward is seeing the smile on the children’s faces as they play an instrument or attend one of our performances. You realize that great music just might become a part of their life forever.”
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1970 as the Symphony Concerts of Mobile. Today, the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, under Music Director Scott Speck, is the premier producer of live symphonic music in the Gulf Coast region. It is committed to enhancing the lives of every member of the community by achieving the highest standards in live symphonic music and music education. To learn more about the MSO, its concerts and programs, visit www.mobilesymphony.org.
The orchestra is able to present the “Musical Pizza Party,” thanks to the generosity of the Josephine Larkins Foundation. For reservations or information, call 251.432.2064. The Mobile Civic Theater is located at 401 Civic Center Drive in Mobile.
Founded in 1942, and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League of American Orchestras leads, encourages, and supports America’s orchestras while communicating to the public the essential value and cultural importance of orchestras in their communities and the vitality of the music they perform. The League provides a wealth of services, meaningful information, learning and leadership opportunities, and grassroots advocacy to its diverse membership, which encompasses nearly 1,000 member symphony, chamber, youth, and collegiate orchestras of all sizes, and links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers, board members, volunteers, staff members, and business partners. Visit www.americanorchestras.org to learn more.
Bank of America has embarked on an unprecedented 10-year goal to give $1.5 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the quality and vitality of their neighborhoods. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2007, making the bank one of the most generous corporate donors in the world. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contribute more than 500,000 hours each year to improve the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
Print
Email
