A kid-sized week with the Pittsburgh Symphony
This past week, aka week 37 of the season, was without a doubt, a unique week to be a Fellow in Pittsburgh. Long before I had arrived in March, Suzanne Perrino, our Vice President of Education and Community Engagement (E&CE) at the PSO, had contracted my brains and brawn to lend a hand with this program-heavy week in her department.
For one week, I put most of my other projects on hold and became a full-fledged member of the E&CE department. On Monday, I observed PSO Principal Trombonist Pete Sullivan and Resident Conductor Daniel Meyer as they traveled to Carnegie Mellon University’s Cyert Center for Early Education. At the Center, dozens of pre-kindergarten kids waved their hands in the air as Dan taught them how to conduct and giggled as Pete described and demonstrated the plunger mute. Over the course of one year, these lucky kids will have four consecutive weekly visits from five to six PSO musicians thanks in part to E&CE’s Service Exchange program where musicians can donate services that translate into extra vacation time.
On Tuesday, about 1,800 second grade kids from around the region filed into Heinz Hall to “Meet the Orchestra” for a concert designed especially for them, complete with visuals and interaction with conductor Dan Meyer. You should have seen the buses lined up on Penn and Liberty. It looked like the streets of Pittsburgh had flooded yellow!
Then, on Wednesday, it was payback time as the Cyert Center kids from Monday visited the Hall. They listened (and waved “hi” to Pete) as the orchestra rehearsed for the final Fiddlesticks concert of the season (read on for details). Additionally, Suzanne, Lindsay (Manager of E&CE), several interns, and I manned themed rooms throughout the hall as the kids colored musical pictures, played in a pretend orchestra, toured the Hall, and of course, had cookie & juice breaks.
On Thursday and Friday, I helped compile materials and prepare for the PSO’s Summer Strings Camp program, Community Side-by-Side Event, and Fiddlesticks concert. Then, on Saturday, Fiddlesticks (a giant cat) and Lucas Richman led the final Fiddlesticks Family Concert of the season. The concert theme, “Musical Celebrations around the World,” introduced a couple of new instruments to a packed Heinz Hall of kids and their parents. One hour before the concert, the lobby areas were bustling with demonstrations of the African Djembe, Chinese Erhu, and several other exhibitions. Fiddlesticks the cat is so popular that kids lined up for over an hour after the concert just to get his and Lucas’ autographs!
Beyond simply learning more about the dozens of programs led by the E&CE department, this week was a great opportunity to reflect on the importance of music education, especially for kids, and what role professional orchestras ought to play in the lives of these little folks. I am grateful to Suzanne and Lindsay for prying me away from my other projects to better learn these important lessons over the past week.
For one week, I put most of my other projects on hold and became a full-fledged member of the E&CE department. On Monday, I observed PSO Principal Trombonist Pete Sullivan and Resident Conductor Daniel Meyer as they traveled to Carnegie Mellon University’s Cyert Center for Early Education. At the Center, dozens of pre-kindergarten kids waved their hands in the air as Dan taught them how to conduct and giggled as Pete described and demonstrated the plunger mute. Over the course of one year, these lucky kids will have four consecutive weekly visits from five to six PSO musicians thanks in part to E&CE’s Service Exchange program where musicians can donate services that translate into extra vacation time.
On Tuesday, about 1,800 second grade kids from around the region filed into Heinz Hall to “Meet the Orchestra” for a concert designed especially for them, complete with visuals and interaction with conductor Dan Meyer. You should have seen the buses lined up on Penn and Liberty. It looked like the streets of Pittsburgh had flooded yellow!
Then, on Wednesday, it was payback time as the Cyert Center kids from Monday visited the Hall. They listened (and waved “hi” to Pete) as the orchestra rehearsed for the final Fiddlesticks concert of the season (read on for details). Additionally, Suzanne, Lindsay (Manager of E&CE), several interns, and I manned themed rooms throughout the hall as the kids colored musical pictures, played in a pretend orchestra, toured the Hall, and of course, had cookie & juice breaks.
On Thursday and Friday, I helped compile materials and prepare for the PSO’s Summer Strings Camp program, Community Side-by-Side Event, and Fiddlesticks concert. Then, on Saturday, Fiddlesticks (a giant cat) and Lucas Richman led the final Fiddlesticks Family Concert of the season. The concert theme, “Musical Celebrations around the World,” introduced a couple of new instruments to a packed Heinz Hall of kids and their parents. One hour before the concert, the lobby areas were bustling with demonstrations of the African Djembe, Chinese Erhu, and several other exhibitions. Fiddlesticks the cat is so popular that kids lined up for over an hour after the concert just to get his and Lucas’ autographs!
Beyond simply learning more about the dozens of programs led by the E&CE department, this week was a great opportunity to reflect on the importance of music education, especially for kids, and what role professional orchestras ought to play in the lives of these little folks. I am grateful to Suzanne and Lindsay for prying me away from my other projects to better learn these important lessons over the past week.
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