THSO Inspires Children to MAKE Music
During the month of April, the Terre Haute Symphony shared our annual Adventure Concert program with thousands of elementary school students in Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley including 8 school tours in Vigo County, 3 full orchestra concerts at Tilson Auditorium, and 15 question and answer sessions on Zoom with VCSC students. This important music education program explores how each specific instrument sounds by itself, how it fits into its instrumental family, and how the instrumental families work together in the orchestra.
The program has four fundamental objectives:
Encourage each child to make music: to choose to participate in an instrumental or choral ensemble, or to take private voice or instrument lessons.
Augment, support, and collaborate with the associated schools’ education programs and objectives and with their music teachers.
Perform standard classical repertoire all children should have a chance to hear and feel an association with – “I know that piece!”
Have FUN!!
During the concerts, students are amazingly responsive! Students show engagement by:
Cheering as each instrument of the orchestra is introduced by professional musicians.
Vigorously raising their hands to indicate that they would like to try a particular woodwind instrument or a string instrument.
Listening in rapt silence as great music is played for them as examples of the instrumental families.
With support from the Indiana Chemical Trust, The Hometown Savings Bank, and the Wabash Valley Community Foundation, the 2023 Adventure Concert program consisted of three prongs that offered multiple levels of engagement with students.
Adventure Previews
The THSO toured 8 elementary schools in Vigo County with 6 musicians April 12-13 to share a 25-minute preview concert with 4th graders prior to their field trip to Tilson Auditorium to experience the full symphony orchestra on April 18. Schools visited included Riley, Davis Park, DeVaney, Farrington Grove, Rio Grande, Lost Creek, Terre Town, and Sugar Grove. Each mini concert featured excerpts from Star Wars and the William Tell Overture as well as short instrument demonstrations from each musician. Instrument demonstrations also featured familiar songs, Disney tunes, and video game music! Students also had the opportunity to ask musicians questions and get an up-close look at the instruments.
Adventure Concerts
On April 18, the THSO welcomed nearly 3,000 students from Vigo and surrounding counties to three concerts featuring the full 65-musician Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. The concert opened with Star Wars to welcome the kids and get them excited for the concert. Dr. David Bowden, THSO Artistic Director and Conductor, continued to introduce each instrument family of the orchestra including the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Students also had the opportunity to participate in a patriotic sing-a-long accompanied by the orchestra. During the concerts, Dr. Bowden encouraged each student to think about what instrument they might like to try with the goal of inspiring students to continue making music for the rest of their lives.
Adventure Encores
The week following the concert, THSO musicians hopped on Zoom calls with VCSC 4th grade music classes for question-and-answer sessions about music careers, instruments, and more. Questions often included how musicians make money, how auditions work, who their favorite composers are, and do they still get nervous when they perform.
The Impact
As students select their instruments each year, they are strongly encouraged through our Adventure Concerts to envision themselves participating in music education programs and ensembles. Again and again, studies prove that music-making is directly linked to high intellectual functioning on both sides of the brain. Children involved in music-making tend to have higher math scores and overall higher test scores than those who do not participate. They have greater problem-solving skills. They also matriculate at colleges at a higher rate and are more likely to be involved in community service and community leadership. Most importantly, the opportunity for artistic self-expression is essential to overall health and quality of life. Communities with strong musical programs in their schools and a focus on a culture that values the arts experience a highly engaged adult population that is well-prepared for the workforce.
When students participate in their school music programs, they receive the same types of benefits as sports like:
“team” opportunities
achievement opportunities
personal discipline structure
a sense of belonging
In addition to these benefits, however, musical programs go one step further by:
training the brain to learn
leading to better school attendance and higher high school graduation rates
resulting in substantially higher college matriculation and overall higher academic achievement
Children who participate in musical programs have higher IQs, substantially higher class rank upon graduation, and higher SAT and other standardized test scores.
Growth
Prior to the pandemic, the Adventure Concert program consisted of two (2) concerts performed annually on the same day in early April. In just three short years, the program has grown to multiple school preview tours, three (3) full orchestra concerts, and several virtual Q&A sessions due to the demand for the program and the increasing support from our community and foundations. We were floored to receive nearly 2,700 registrations from non-VCSC schools in Fall 2022, quickly prompting us to put the resources together to offer a third concert in 2023. In 2024, we will perform three concerts at Tilson Auditorium and expand our preview tours to include all 15 elementary schools in Vigo County.
Registration
All 4th graders in VCSC are automatically registered to participate in these programs through their elementary schools. Registration for non-VCSC public schools, private schools, and homeschool families will open in the Fall each year. Sign up for our email list to receive announcements about registration and other THSO events!
Support
Interested in supporting this vital program for elementary students? Consider making a donation here or contact Samantha.Johnson-Helms@thso.org.