Arts in the Schools

The goals of this residency are to: 1. Provide youth with the skills and tools to take music outside of the classroom and past the printed page. 2. Instill in young people an abiding love of music that results in lifelong engagement on many levels; playing, attending concerts, supporting the arts and teaching. 3. Increase each student’s understanding and skill in music and provide an opportunity to perform in public next to professional musicians. 4. Provide a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of instrumental technique for brass instruments. 5. Provide a chance for community members to experience live professional brass music. There are several benchmarks that myself and the CSB will monitor to know our project has successfully met the above goals, and to evaluate the success of the residency. They include: 1. Students who are engaged - asking questions, participating in activities, and volunteering to play. This is a strong indicator that kids are interacting with the material and processing the information in ways that will be retained. 2. Improved instrumental playing - band members will be more in tune, play together better, and use proper warm-ups prior to ensemble playing. 3. Concert attendance and crowd interaction with the CSB at their evening performance. The primary form of evaluation is from the students themselves both in the classroom sessions and afterwards. The CSB utilizes a feedback survey for me and other staff and volunteers to measure the overall reaction to the program, best and worst portions, and to solicit ideas for improvement. Additionally, we will ask the audience to do a brief survey at the evening performance for evaluative purposes. The CSB and I will also get verbal feedback from students in the classroom and from audience members at the concert. This feedback is an immediate and important reflection of the CSB’s work in the classroom and on stage. In addition to the surveys, the CSB also stays in the concert hall after the evening performance and makes a point to invite conversation from audience members. This informal audience feedback is an immediate and important reflection of their effectiveness on stage. In the context of a residency, it is also an opportunity to hear from parents and receive their perspective on the CSB’s impact on their child from the residency.