Concerts For Kids

CONCEPT – Concerts For Kids brings professional musicians who are concert artists and educators into local elementary schools to perform concerts, engage with students, and provide interactive music opportunities. 

PURPOSE – our goal is to bring Concerts For Kids to schools for students who may not have opportunities to hear LIVE concerts, meet professional musicians, or the financial means to learn an instrument with a concert artist.

Pre-Concert Education – The first part of the program consists of engaging students in the classroom.  Students will learn about the history, styles, and cultural aspects of music; as well as rhythm, harmony, melody, and more.

Concert – Finally, our musicians perform a LIVE concert for the school, with 5th grade students participating!  Example: students play jazz rhythms on latin percussion instruments, or improvise melodies on kazoos or recorders.

The Tango Project – This program and concert explores the music and rhythm of Tango music from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain.  Students will learn about this important music from Latin America and learn how to dance the Tango with our Tango dancers. 

Made In America: JAZZ – This program and concert explores America's music: Jazz.  Our quartet features Brazilian pianist Jasnam Daya Singh.  The musicians will perform and explain how to improvise.  Students will improvise using bucket drums, kazoos, and their voices. 

Jumanji - A program with music composed for the classic children’s book Jumanji.  The program blends music, art, and theater.  Students participate by reading the book and acting the roles of human and animal characters, bringing the book to life with music, spoken word and art.

Fun With Mozart! –  An introduction to 'classical music' and Wolfgang Mozart with famous melodies and songs from operas like The Magic Flute.  In partnership with Portland Opera On Tap, students will hear an opera singer, sing an aria, and learn how opera tells a story with music.