The Colorado Symphony Orchestra has supported early childhood literacy initiatives for decades. A 16-piece orchestra, bilingual narration, singing, dancing, and reading will continue for children from preschool through second grade at the Villars Performing Arts Center on April 30th at 12:30 p.m. An event will be held.
“For many of them, it's the first time they've been in a venue and seen a big stage,” said Brianna McCaughey, director of community education for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra's era of musical stories began with now-retired cellist David Mullikin, who joined the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 1973. He created story pieces for small ensembles to perform with storytellers. They include “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,'' “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,'' “The Emperor and the Nightingale,'' “The Tortoise and the Hare,'' “The Tunji and the Giant,'' and “The Ugly Duckling.'' It will be charmingly toddled into VPAC on Tuesday.
In 2020, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra added new picture books and bilingual elements to its early childhood educational concerts. This book, which children can take home after the concert to continue reading and remembering the performance, features original illustrations. A bilingual narrator guides children through the book while musicians play songs composed specifically for specific stories.
In this book, the narrator alternates between English and Spanish to tell each part of the story theatrically, allowing children to trace letters and participate in other literary skills.
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“The storybooks have wonderful illustrations that keep children engaged. Children can then read and remember things like the duck was a clarinet… is expressed on a variety of instruments,” McCaughey said.
The tone of the music changes as the story unfolds. For example, a sad, ugly duckling has dark music, but it changes to happy music as the duck gains hope.
“The kids love it,” she said. “It has interactive and engaging elements that I think are really fun for them. They always have something to look at and play along with the instruments. They get hooked. There's something for everyone. .”
The approximately 45-minute performance begins with a short 20-25 minute song to warm up the kids, followed by a featured story. In the first half, have the children sing and dance. For example, “Buenos Dias” includes various movement elements. The afternoon entertainment concludes with an encore of “Baby Shark.”
“It definitely ended with great satisfaction,” she said.
Although this performance provides plenty of entertainment, its main purpose is to introduce young children to live orchestral music and its instruments, both of which support learning.
“Starting and accessing the arts early is so important. A lot of these kids leave the concert saying, 'I want to play the violin (or other instruments),'” she said, adding, He added that education is one of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra's core values. “It helps develop students' minds. Singing songs helps children remember and learn, and also helps in language development.”
This performance gives primarily English-speaking children the opportunity to teach Spanish and vice versa.
“We've had a lot of positive feedback. It's a great immersion way to learn English and Spanish,” she said.
The Symphony Orchestra's Mini Music Program, which combines a 16-piece orchestra with interactive dance, singing, storytelling, take-home picture books, and bilingual narrators who explain and act out stories, is unlike any other early education initiative. I'm drawing the line.
“When you put all of this together, it’s a very unique program that can offer a lot to any student or family,” she said. “There are so many different things that appeal to kids. I think anyone can be a musician. By making it as accessible as possible, we can give kids that inspiration. There's a lot of positivity in music. ” she said, noting that music helps children listen more intently, promotes teamwork and helps with intellectual development. “The great thing about getting kids excited about music is how it can support their learning.”