The Las Vegas Philharmonic presented 10 free youth concerts to fourth-grade students in the Clark County School District during its Youth Concert Series in November 2015 and January 2016.
More than 14,000 students in attendance watched and listened as the orchestra performed a 45-minute set that featured seven works that showcased different sections of the orchestra and varying techniques and styles of classical music.
The purpose of the Youth Concert Series is to expose students to live symphonic music before they select a musical instrument and enroll in band by sixth grade.
Prior to each season, Music Director Donato Cabrera and representatives from the Clark County School District Partnership Office plan the repertoire to be presented to students at the upcoming youth concerts. The teachers receive information about the composers, the music and the history behind each piece.
A new component to the Philharmonic’s Youth Concert Series was the collaboration with the Discovery Children’s Museum. More than 1,200 students from Title 1 schools were given the opportunity to participate in a pilot program during November and January youth concerts.
Educators from Discovery Children’s Museum tailored four interactive exhibits to the youth concert repertoire. Children learned about sound waves, created puppets to Tchaikovsky’s Odette and the Prince from Swan Lake, painted to the tempo of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and engaged in the Water World Gallery after hearing Britten’s Storm from Four Sea Interludes.
The Youth Concert Series was underwritten by individual supporters, foundations and corporate sponsors including The Bennett Family Foundation, Cox Communications, Green Valley Grocery, Las Vegas Philharmonic Guild, NV Energy, Bank of Nevada, Target, Kinder Morgan, South Point, Wells Fargo, Southern Nevada Music, MGM Resorts, National Endowment for the Arts, Arts4Nevada.org and the Nevada Arts Council.
