Our education programs are an integral part of our mission to enrich lives and foster a lifelong appreciation for music. Our programs serve over 9,000 local students annually, providing young people in our community free and low-cost opportunities to grow their musical knowledge.
Founded in 1976, the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) serves over 120 student musicians and their families from more than forty public and private schools in the Central Valley. Led by a deeply engaged leadership team, the youth orchestra attracts a diverse group of outstanding musicians and offers players the opportunity to share their gift of music in an inspiring and challenging orchestral setting among their peers from all social, economic, cultural and geographical backgrounds.
The MSO offers a variety of Community Education opportunities for students of all ages. This year our masterclasses and instrument petting zoo are paused until we can safely meet in person. We will continue to look for opportunities to offer these programs that ensure both the student’s and teaching artist’s safety.
Link Up, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, pairs orchestras with students in grades 3–5 at schools in their local communities to explore orchestral repertoire through a hands-on music curriculum. Students participating in Link Up attend a culminating concert, in which they sing and play recorders or string instruments with the orchestra from their seats. Students also compose and perform their own pieces inspired by the orchestral repertoire studied.
Geared for music students of an advanced ability level, this collaborative learning opportunity pairs students with our Symphony musicians, conductors and visiting guest artists. Presenters lend their technical expertise and enthusiasm for the arts in various settings including sectional rehearsals, one-on-one lessons, clinics and lectures. Students benefit from having an industry professional work with them on practice and performance skills, various techniques, artistic interpretation of works and insight into the business of professional music making.
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