The Houston Symphony is excited to announce the newly selected recipients of our Community-Embedded Fellowship! The Community-Embedded Fellowship, a collaboration with Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, is an apprenticeship program that provides graduate music students with the opportunity to develop community engagement skills. The fellowship … Continued
On October 30, the Houston Symphony participated in the Magnolia Park Día de Los Muertos Festival for the first time. This annual celebration occurred in the historic Latino neighborhood of Magnolia Park. We spoke with some key participants about their experience and involvement with the festival. Rovion Reed, Houston Symphony Associate Director of Education & … Continued
Since the Houston Symphony launched its Community-Embedded Musicians initiative in 2015, the musicians holding these specialized, hybrid performer-teaching artist positions have improved thousands of students’ and community members’ quality of life through music. As highly skilled musicians with a special passion and skill for community engagement, the Community-Embedded Musicians (CEMs) work in many different settings—schools, … Continued
Community-Embedded Musician, David Connor, double bass, recently completed a virtual chamber music project with Houston-area students as part of the Symphony’s High School Residency program, presented by Occidental. Here, Dave reflects on the experience and shares some highlights from performances with students. Over the last two years, I’ve had the great opportunity to make monthly visits … Continued
Rhythm is such an important part of music and life. Another word that we use in music to describe the rhythm is “pulse.” Just like the important function that our heart performs for our body, the pulse in music regulates the groove, pumps excitement into the music, and keeps the body of musicians together in … Continued
“It’s incredible that through the power of technology we can continue to interact with the students and stay connected to this community. Even though it is through a different platform, I can see that the students are very excited and eager to continue learning about the violin. In this unprecedented time of isolation, our interaction … Continued
Community-Embedded Musicians Patricia Quintero, violin, and Alexa Thomson, viola, invite student musicians to try out this piece! Alexa Thomson, viola: The Telemann Canonic Sonata No. 1 is one of our favorites to perform for audiences across Houston, and we loved the challenge of putting this together from different locations while social distancing. We have included … Continued
Community-Embedded Musician Alexa Thomson, viola, shares an exercise inspired by music! Each of these videos allow children to use their creativity and move their bodies in different ways that represent changes they hear in the music. They can really stretch their imaginations through these activities. Explore ways you can move different parts of your body: … Continued
Jump in your imaginary row boat or grab your toy boat and join Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musicians Patricia Quintero and Alexa Thomson on a musical boat ride by singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” There’s a surprise in here! Follow along with one of the musicians and see how cool it is to create harmony … Continued
Music engages every part of the brain. Involvement in music increases verbal and special skills, aids in emotional development, and improves body movement and coordination. The earlier a child begins learning musical elements like rhythm, pitch and reading notes on a staff, the greater their capacity for learning music in the future. In short, continued … Continued
Where can you find children singing and dancing with the Houston Symphony during summer vacation while developing literacy skills? Camp Adventure! During the month of July, the Symphony was a part of this special program presented by the Children’s Museum of Houston and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. Throughout each of the two-week camps … Continued
The Houston Symphony Residency at Lewis Elementary, presented by BBVA, helped bring music education to local third, fourth and fifth graders in the 2018–19 school year. Community-Embedded Musicians taught both in-school and after-school violin classes to some 230 Lewis Elementary students. During a Symphony concert in Jones Hall on April 27, students performed in the … Continued
Students and teachers across Houston faced many challenges during the first weeks of the school year as they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Late starts, damaged facilities, and the stress of uncertainty permeated campuses throughout the region. Despite the late start to the school year, Crespo Elementary students are eager to embrace a new year of … Continued
Imagine a classroom full of 6-year-olds moving around with big smiles on their faces, waving colorful scarves to music. Sounds like child’s play, right? What we can’t see when we observe this seemingly simple scene, however, is that some real and important learning is happening alongside all the fun. These children are developing key literacy … Continued
With the help of Houston ISD district leadership, Ortiz Middle School has earned fine arts magnet status and is in its first year of offering an orchestra program. Located near Hobby Airport in southeast Houston, Ortiz Middle School’s budding orchestra program promises students new opportunities to engage with music in a less affluent part of … Continued
A junior from Galena Park High School and saxophone student, Salvador excelled locally and nationally under the guidance of Dave Connor, a Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musician. Salvador’s growth in musical interpretation and execution prepared him for Texas Music Educators Association All-State and Interlochen auditions.
Big Brothers Big Sisters brought some very special guests for the Houston Symphony’s “A Frosty & Frozen Christmas” Family Concert on Saturday, December 12 at Jones Hall. A mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) in the Houston area. Before the concert, unmatched “Littles” … Continued