Last week among the long lines of bright yellow busses snaking around the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, over 800 4th through 6th graders from 9 Arts Every Day partner schools filed into the hallways and seats of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) to experience a midweek concert titled “This Land is Our Land”. The concert honors the 100th year of the National Park Service with live orchestral music, highlighting our country’s most beautiful National Parks, the history of how the National Park Service came to be, and the significance of the parks in modern day. This Land is Our Land showcased curriculum connections to social studies, history, science, English language arts, 21st century skills and music.
“Our students were asking all kinds of questions–Who is the conductor? Why is he so important? What are the different types of instruments? What are they made of? Unfortunately, we don’t currently have any music programs for our students but we want to find more ways to expose our students to the arts. We are going to tie this experience into a creative writing exercise when we get back to school!” – Mr. Taylor, Edgewood Elementary
“I liked the solo violinist!” – Carla from Edgewood Elementary
Between the high cost of bus transportation and the cost of admissions, many students miss out on the opportunity to experience our city’s wealth of artists, musicians, museums and performers. Each year, Arts Every Day works with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore City Public School District to connect thousands of Baltimore City Public Schools with free admissions and bussing to the Midweek Concert series. Not only do these experiences connect back to classroom learning, they help students feel connected to the cultural community.
Thanks to partnerships like this throughout Baltimore City, Arts Every Day is able to match Baltimore City students to incredible performances, programs, and events.
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