The Santa Barbara Symphony is continuing one of its longest-running education initiatives, Concerts for Young People, which welcomes more than 5,000 Santa Barbara County elementary students each year to attend free symphony concerts at The Granada Theatre.
Now in its sixth decade, the Concerts for Young People program is designed to introduce local fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders to orchestral music through live interactive, kid friendly symphonic performances and demonstrations.
Teachers also receive lesson plans to help them integrate classical music into students’ daily curriculum leading up to the concert. Attendance is free for students and teachers and is offered to all schools in Santa Barbara County.
Maestro Nir Kabaretti will lead the symphony in all four Concerts for Young People at 9:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Jan. 17-18. The 2019 program will focus on the connection between music and nature, featuring works by Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss, Grieg and Saint-Saens.
“Our Concerts for Young People offers many students their very first chance to hear classical music and experience the thrill of a symphony performing live on stage,” said Loribeth Gregory-Beck, the Symphony’s director of education and community engagement.
“Each program is designed to inspire and educate students, while providing them the chance to enjoy this special entertainment amongst their classmates,” she said.
Each year, the Santa Barbara Symphony provides more than 10,000 children in Santa Barbara County with high-quality, equal-access music education through its Music Education Center, a pipeline of connected programs designed to support students along the way.
From their first experience holding an instrument to applying for college, the Symphony’s Music Education Center is there.
Through partnerships with school districts and other community organizations, the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Music Education Center empowers students in grades TK-12 to be at their best through music.
The programs include the Music Van, Concerts for Young People, the Santa Barbara Junior Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, Elementary School programming, and Musical Mentors. For more information about the Symphony’s Music Education Initiatives click here.
For more, visit thesymphony.org.
— Jennifer Zacharias for The Santa Barbara Symphony.