But that’s not all! Discover the great master’s passion for composing as they embark on a magic journey into the world of The Magic Flute. Follow the Prince and Papageno as they try to rescue Princess Pamina from the Queen of the Night in Sarastro’s enchanted castle. And see Karl’s wish come true as his father takes him to a performance of the Magic Flute. This true father-son event confirms for Karl that he is well loved and that, although history will mark an early death for his father just two months later, he will always have him by his side through his timeless music.

Audiences will enjoy twenty three excerpts of the master’s music, including themes from Mozart’s operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, popular excerpts from The Magic Flute, and some of his most important and engaging works such as Ave Verum, Symphony No. 1, Clarinet Quintet, and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The music is magically woven into the drama as two actors recreate historical incidents from the composer’s life. This mesmerizing concert and story performance is approximately 50 minutes in length and is an ideal addition to any children’s education program or family concert series. This program is recommended for audiences age six and up.

As student participation in the performing arts engages them in meaningful learning and academic achievement, encourages creativity and critical thinking and raises standardized test scores, teachers that participate in this program are asked to attend a Arts Access Workshop presented by the Fresno County Department of Education. At this workshop they are given materials that allow them to integrate this concerts musical concepts into their existing curriculum in ways that align with prescribed national and state educations standards in music. For more info on our Arts Access Workshops follow this link: http://fresnophil.org/artsaccess.html

The Fresno Philharmonic will perform this concert in the Saroyan Theatre on November 17 & 18, 2011. To obtain a reservation form, email Director of Education Lisa Stallings at lstallings@fresnophil.org

Watch a short clip from the live production of Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage:

Watch a slideshow from the live production of Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage:

Awards & Honors:

Audio Awards:

• Juno Award Best Children’s Recording (Canada)
• Audio File Earphones Award of Excellence
• Parent’s Guide Children’s Media Award
• Selected as Outstanding by Parent Council
• Canadian Children’s Book Centre – Our Choice Gold

Education Awards:

• Curriculum Administrator Top 100 Districts’ Choice Award – Teacher’s Notes
• Learning Magazine – Teacher’s Choice Award – Teacher’s Notes
• Practical Home Schooling Association Notable Children’s Recordings – Teacher’s Notes
• Teacher’s Choice Award Learning Magazine – The Classroom Collection Teaching Edition
• 2005 Karl Haas Award for Music Education

One strategy under this Initiative is our Arts Access Student Voucher Program. This program, supported by the Bonner Family Foundation, will allow students in our community to attend first class professional orchestral concerts with their family at absolutely no charge to them!

Teachers can sign up to receive these vouchers for every student in their classroom. Each voucher allows the student and their family admittance to a concert at the Saroyan Theatre performed by the Fresno Philharmonic at no cost to them.

In order for our students and teachers to make the most this program, the teachers will be asked to attend an Arts Integration Workshop by the Fresno County Office of Education, focused on teaching common concepts in the arts and other core subjects. The workshops are fun, interactive and designed for all teachers, grades K-12. Students will also be asked to complete a follow up assignment after the concert, e.g. a short essay or visual art project. This allows the concert experience to go from a one-time exciting event to a lifetime of learning for our students and teachers.

Teachers that would like to receive these vouchers should fill out the voucher request form PDF below and submit entire page via fax (559-261-0700) or email to Director of Education Lisa Stallings

http://fresnophil.org/pdfs/ArtsAccess.pdf

Questions? Email Lisa at lstallings@fresnophil.org

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal – by James Anderson, Staff Writer Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 9:38am CST

Best Buy Co. Inc. and its children’s foundation announced Wednesday a $1.24 million donation to the Grammy Foundation to support music education in high schools.

The contribution exceeds the Richfield-based electronics retailer’s 2010 goal by more than $250,000, according to a news release. Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) has in recent years tailored its corporate giving strategy toward programs that benefit teens.

“Music is a foundational piece of Best Buy’s DNA and our commitment to the music industry extends well beyond the products we sell in our store,” said Best Buy spokeswoman Paula Prahl, in a statement.

The donation will be presented today at Grammy Career Day on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2011/02/09/best-buy-donates-124-million-to.html

England:

Government announces £82.5m investment in music education February 08 2011

The government has announced plans to make £82.5 million available for music education across England next year.

Education secretary Michael Gove revealed that the money will be used to make music education provision more equal and attract top graduates and performers into teaching.

“All young people should have the chance to benefit from the opportunities that music can bring – not simply those pupils from wealthy backgrounds whose parents can afford to pay for lessons,” he commented.

Mr Gove said the government is aware that in some of the country music education is not up to scratch.

“Many disadvantaged children are denied the music education they deserve. And that’s why we need to bridge this musical divide,” he added.

In related news, the National Society for Education in Art and Design expressed concern earlier this week that subjects such as art and music could be sidelined by the introduction of the new English baccalaureate qualification.

http://www.timeplan.com/news-and-events/news/1991-government-announces-82.5m-investment-in-music-education/

For more information on the Three Phantoms in Concert: http://fresnophil.org/phantoms.html or http://www.3phantomsinconcert.com/

For more information on Clovis West’s performance of The Phantom of the Opera: http://vapa.cusd.com/_frame/drama.html

]]> http://blog.fresnophil.org/?feed=rss2&p=635 13 http://blog.fresnophil.org/?p=615 http://blog.fresnophil.org/?p=615#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:55:00 +0000 FresnoPhil http://education.fresnophil.org/?p=615 As the January weather blustered outside, 300 Bullard Talent students gathered in their multipurpose room to enjoy the musical stylings of world renowned bassist Edgar Meyer. During a Concertos for Kids presentation, Mr. Meyer demonstrated his extensive range for the children by playing one very jazzy piece with a funky beat and then performing one very traditional classical Bach piece while he explained to the students that its his job to perform for people just like them all over the world.

For more information on Edgar Meyer: http://fresnophil.org/edgar.html or http://www.edgarmeyer.com/

Principal Alfred Sanchez, vice-principal Katherine Ortego-Jones, and others from the faculty sat in to see local royalty work with the students, and their reaction was glowing. Afterward, always proud of his school, Sanchez said that he felt Kuchar’s visit is yet another reason why the school performs so well. Many of the teachers seek to bring in experts on occasion to boost the learning experience.

Students worked hard as Kuchar drilled specific techniques, and they laughed at his unexpected wit. The great and famous maestro communicates with kids on their level. One student told me that he learned so much about his violin in that single session that he hopes Kuchar will return; he left the students hungry for more. It is always nice for the students to receive a lesson from a different angle than their regular teacher.

Post Written By George Warren

Weeks prior, teachers attended a workshop with Bob Bullwinkel of the Fresno County Department of Education to learn how to integrate this concert and its music into their existing curriculum. With that instruction, the concert ceases to be your average run of the mill field trip. Instead it becomes a vehicle to enhance students engagement in learning, by connecting classical music to everyday student life such as reading, math, motivation, critical thinking and social skills.

The Fresno Philharmonic strives to be a strong and effective provider of arts education in our community and to the children in our area. We are deeply grateful to the sponsors and annual fund contributors that allow us to continue with this mission. Youth-Family Sponsors 20101[1]

]]> http://blog.fresnophil.org/?feed=rss2&p=591 12 http://blog.fresnophil.org/?p=580 http://blog.fresnophil.org/?p=580#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:49:46 +0000 FresnoPhil http://education.fresnophil.org/?p=580 Big thanks to the Fresno State Womens Basketball Team, Fresno High students and Sunnyside High student volunteers that lended a hand to provide all sorts of fun and games to the children that attended our Family Concert on November 19th!

Although Mr. Hoopes couldn’t share any Lady Gaga stories with his young audience, he was able to teach the children about his not quite 300 year old Stradivarius violin, share how he spends six hours a day practicing his craft and how a few years ago, he filmed a TV commercial for a major league baseball team. Chad also spoke to the importance of music in schools and how he passionately believes that every student should be exposed to music.

As the presentation was winding down, Chad was asked to play one last piece and a request for a Justin Beiber song was shouted out. While he lamented that he was not up to date on the music of Justin Beiber, Chad was able to provide a very special treat to one of the students in attendance by leading the group in a round of ‘Happy Birthday To You!’ on his violin.

To view video of Chad performing at Malaga Elementary, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grnGSkeb-Rs

For more information on Chad Hoopes and his performance with the Fresno Philharmonic, please visit: http://fresnophil.org/total.html

For more information on Concertos for Kids, please visit: http://education.fresnophil.org/?cat=13

]]> http://blog.fresnophil.org/?feed=rss2&p=548 3 http://blog.fresnophil.org/?p=546 http://blog.fresnophil.org/?p=546#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:05:20 +0000 FresnoPhil http://education.fresnophil.org/?p=546 As the orchestra tunes, members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute settle into their seats and prepare to watch the musicians rehearse. Last Thursday evening the Fresno State group attended an Open Rehearsal of ‘Total Tchaikovsky’ when just the day before they were treated to a personal visit from Maestro Kuchar to speak about his career as a professional conductor.

Open Rehearsals invites students to encounter music in a concert hall setting. Students see and hear the Fresno Philharmonic in action by attending our final working rehearsal for our Masterwork concerts. The group will witness the hard work that goes into coordinating the sounds of different musicians and their instruments while getting an up-close glimpse of a professional orchestra and the exciting world of orchestral music.

To learn more about our Open Rehearsals, please visit: http://education.fresnophil.org/?cat=23

To learn more about the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, please visit: http://www.csufresno.edu/olli/