EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMES
In addition to concert performances, the TSO serves the community with one of the largest education outreach programmes in Canada, connecting students throughout Ontario with curriculum-based programming.
FAST FACTS
• Each year, over 80,000 young people participate in curriculum-based education programmes
• In a single season, one in four TSO concerts at Roy Thomson Hall is performed for young audiences
• Each season, TSO musicians present curriculum-based education programmes in the community
IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMES
Adopt-A-Player
This popular and innovative programme teams a class of Grade 4 or 5 students with a TSO musician over a six-week period. Using a piece of music from the TSO’s current season, musicians help students understand the compositional process by exploring the different elements of music. Musicians and students work together to create a new piece of music, which is performed for parents and other students in a showcase performance at the end of the programme.
The Adopt-A-Player programme is generously supported by Francine & Bob Barrett, Scotiabank, and the Toronto Symphony Volunteer Committee.
TSO Preludes
TSO Preludes bring small ensembles of TSO musicians to perform in schools for students in Kindergarten through Grade 8. These interactive and entertaining performances incorporate story-telling and instrument demonstrations, in a programme of fun and age-appropriate music.
Each season, TSO Preludes musicians visit with nearly 9,000 young people in their schools. Students outside the Toronto area also get a chance to participate in this programme when the Orchestra takes the TSO Preludes programme on tour.
The Preludes programme is generously supported by the Tauba & Soloman Spiro Family Foundation.
Masterclasses
In this programme designed for high school music students, members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra coach student musicians in high school bands and orchestras. Drawing on their professional expertise, TSO musicians lead intensive masterclasses, coaching aspiring young musicians on performance technique, or working with them on specific repertoire.
PROGRAMMES AT ROY THOMSON HALL
Student Concerts
Three weeks of each TSO concert season at Roy Thomson Hall are dedicated to performing curriculum-based orchestral concerts for students. Over 50,000 young people experience the TSO in performance every year. In consultation with Music Coordinators from the Boards of Education, TSO education staff design Student Concerts to help teachers deliver the Ontario music curriculum at each level. Four different programmes address the learning needs of Primary (Kindergarten to Grade 4), Junior (Grade 4 – 8), Intermediate/Senior (Grade 7-12), and French-language students.
The concerts are entertaining yet firmly based on educational concepts. Classroom resources such as study guides, podcasts, and recordings help teachers to use this experience to help deliver the Ontario music curriculum.
Conductors for Student Concerts are supported by the Gert Wharton Endowment Fund and an anonymous donor.
Morning with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Morning with the TSO invites small groups of high school music students to TSO rehearsals. The students listen and learn from professional musicians as they watch the Orchestra prepare for an upcoming performance.
The session begins with an informative talk by one of the dedicated Toronto Symphony Volunteer Committee members. Perched in the choir loft around the Orchestra, students get a bird’s-eye-view of the musicians, and a chance to watch their favourite section at work. Observing world-class guest artists perform with the TSO greatly enhances this educational opportunity.
During the rehearsal break, a TSO musician or guest artist speaks with the students, answering their many questions regarding the music, rehearsal technique, or even life as a professional musician.
Morning with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is supported by the Rae and Perry Dellio Fund.
OUTREACH PROGRAMMES
How the Gimquat Found Her Song
How the Gimquat Found Her Song is an educational resource package intended to assist teachers in delivering the Ontario provincial music curriculum. The resource package contains an award-winning DVD of a children's symphonic performance by the TSO, a compact disc of repertoire, and an in-depth study guide. These materials were developed by the TSO in partnership with Platypus Theatre, Oz Media, and Connexionarts. In September 2009, the TSO made How the Gimquat Found Her Song available free of charge to over 400 elementary schools in Northern Ontario as part of the Orchestra’s annual Northern Residency.
Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO) is one of Canada's largest youth orchestras, providing a high-level orchestral experience for talented young people aged 22 and under. The TSYO programme provides a unique and powerful life-enriching experience encouraging participants to high achievement no matter what career path they pursue. The TSYO has a close affiliation with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra: TSO musicians serve as coaches throughout the season; TSO guest artists lead masterclasses for TSYO members; and the TSYO performs annually with the TSO in a side-by-side concert at Roy Thomson Hall.
The TSYO is led by conductor TSO RBC Resident Conductor Shalom Bard and coached by TSO musicians Keith Atkinson (TSYO Woodwind Coach), Harcus Hennigar (TSYO Brass Coach), Young-Dae Park (TSYO Violin Coach), Daniel Blackman (TSYO Viola Coach), David Hetherington (TSYO Cello Coach), Paul Rogers (TSYO Double Bass Coach), and David Kent (TSYO Percussion Coach).
The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra is proudly supported by CIBC.
RBC Resident Conductor position is supported by the RBC Foundation.
HEALTH ARTS SOCIETY OF ONTARIO
Under the auspices of Health Arts Society of Ontario (HASO), TSO musicians are regularly performing in elder care homes. This partnership is set to grow over the coming years as HASO extends its reach to audiences in isolated care.
This initiative is generously supported by BMO Financial Group.