Support CSO Education Programs

In partnership with local puppetry company Playful Evolving Monsters and Hamilton County’s Read20 literacy program, the CSO’s Family Series brings classic children’s books to life with classical music. Educational craft activities relevant to each story take place before the performance, allowing families to craft show props with their children that double as fidget objects. Families interact and participate throughout the performance with the use of their props and through cued musical participation like clapping. Pre-show activities also include an instrument petting zoo, where children can handle and play orchestral instruments, often for the first time in their life. Each 45-minute show begins with a mini-concert performed by the CSO’s top musicians and then progresses into a magical storybook performance narrated by Read20 and combining music and the life-sized puppetry of Playful Evolving Monsters. At the end of the concert, each family receives a copy of the book to take home and enjoy again and again. Targeting areas with low involvement in literacy programs and low arts exposure, this past season the CSO brought this series to venues that include the Bethlehem Center (East Lake area), RISE Chattanooga (East Chattanooga area), and Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga (East Ridge area). Admission is free, courtesy of the City of Chattanooga. Learn more >

 

For over 30 years, Link Up—a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute—has paired orchestras with students in grades 3–5 at local schools to explore orchestral repertoire and fundamental musical skills, including creative work and composition, through a hands-on music curriculum. Students explore melody in a range of colorful orchestral repertoire, sing, compose, and perform from their seats in a culminating concert with the CSO! Serving over 6,000 students annually, Young People’s Concerts are a staple for acclimating elementary school-age children to orchestral music. Learn more >

Nurturing the Next Generation of Chattanooga Musicians
Founded in 1949, the CYS provides opportunities for young musicians to perform under the direction of professional conductors, attend sectional workshops with CSO musicians, compete for scholarships, perform solos, participate in small ensembles, and build relationships with other fine young musicians across the greater Chattanooga area. The most immersive of the CSO’s education programs, the Youth Symphony serves 150 students each year. These students are placed in one of our four youth orchestras based on their skill level and rehearse weekly with Maestro Ismael Sandoval. They perform three concert cycles each season, additional collaborative concerts with community groups, and small ensemble concerts. Not only does the Youth Symphony experience teach young musicians audition and rehearsal skills, but they receive hands-on training through sectional coaching with professional orchestral musicians. These opportunities prepare them for college as well as life. 21% of CYS students are homeschooled, providing them with music education that they could not otherwise access, with seventeen students on scholarship. Learn more >