meet the music

LACO’s Meet the Music program reaches approximately 2,500 fourth, fifth and sixth grade students of varied cultural and musical backgrounds each year. Offered in cooperation with the Los Angeles Unified School District, Meet the Music fosters listening skills, encourages individual and group involvement in music making, and provides personal contact with musicians and composers.

In advance of each concert, participating schools receive written curricula, listening tapes and classroom visits from docents. Conductor Jeffrey Kahane takes students on a guided tour of the music and the orchestra, answers questions from the audience, and engages students in active listening.

Reza Vali’s participation in Meet the Music is funded in part through Meet The Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program.

frequently asked questions

I’m an LAUSD teacher; where do I sign up to have my classroom participate in Meet the Music?

We’re glad you’re interested in the program! Just download our online application and send it in to us as soon as you can. Schools are admitted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis.

Can I apply for the 2007-08 Season?

We will begin accepting applications shortly for the 2007-08 season. Make sure you’re on our mailing list so we can send you the application for next season as soon as it becomes available this summer. Send an email to Amy Bassett, and she’ll put you on the list.

I’m not a music teacher but I’m interested in having my classroom hear the orchestra. Can I still send in an application?

Absolutely! Just make sure you attach a lesson plan with your application when you send it to us.

I teach at a local school that is not in the LAUSD. Can I still have my students participate?

Meet the Music is primarily open only to schools within the LAUSD. Please contact Amy directly to discuss other options and alternatives.

Where do the concerts take place?

Meet the Music performances take place in downtown LA, at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts, 200 South Grand Avenue.

Does LACO provide transportation to the concerts?

We do not. All schools participating in the program must arrange for their own transportation to the Colburn School.

Can I sign up my classroom to attend more than one performance in the series?

You can, if space is available. More typically, one teacher will sign up multiple groups of students (different classrooms, for example) to attend different performances.

How will I connect my classroom work with a field trip to hear an orchestra?

That’s up to you, but we’ll help! Prior to your students traveling to the Colburn School to hear LACO, we’ll send a docent to your classroom who will prepare your students for the experience of hearing a live performance of a world-class chamber orchestra. You’ll also receive a “teacher’s guide” with sample lessons plans, and filled with information about LACO, the upcoming concert, the artists who will be performing, stories about the lives of composers, and much, much more!

How does your program address California’s Content Standards for Visual and Performing Arts?

Your students’ participation in Meet the Music will allow you to address each of the five content standards: 1) Artistic Perception,
2) Creative Expression, 3) Historical and Cultural Context,
4) Aesthetic Valuing, and 5) Connections, Relationships, Applications. The Teacher’s Guide includes suggestions on how to develop lesson plans that achieve the goals set by the standards.

I have a question not answered here, can I contact someone?

Of course! Please email Amy Bassett for more information about the LA Chamber Orchestra’s Meet the Music program.

sponsors

LA County Arts Commission’s online
guide to arts education programs.