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Symphony Tales

The Symphony Tales program is a music and literacy educational program geared to children ages four through seven. In the Symphony Tales program, children attend a reading of a popular children’s book while being accompanied by a live musical performance by a New Bedford Symphony Orchestra musician.

The Symphony Tales program is unique, in that the music is composed specifically to imitate the prosodic elements of the text, such as stress, pitch, contour, rhythm and tempo. This concept of linking the prosody in text and music is based on current findings in cognitive psychology that show that music and language have a shared neural perception system and have strong similarities in syntax and semantics processing. Thus, music perception skills can strongly contribute to the development of linguistic skills such as phonemic awareness and phonological memory.

During the Symphony Tales program, the children hear the book performed with a narrator and musician. Following the performance, the children are led in several interactive activities designed to further develop the children’s ability to perceive prosodic elements in the text while using only the sounds of the instrument. Literally, it is as if the instrument is speaking the words of the text, with all inflection, but without specific word meaning attached. For example, in one activity the instrument performs a single sentence or excerpt from the story. The children must listen to the prosodic cues in the music in order to identify and then echo back the same phrase using words and motions on stressed syllables. At the end of the program, we bring the children up to play a cello that is sized just for them!

Many other musical story times exist throughout the country where the music is used to enhance a story, or relate to a theme or character in a book. However, Symphony Tales is the only program that develops the musical aspect of the program in a way that connects the prosodic elements in the text to the prosodic elements in the music. Indeed, it is through these two representations, that children can develop their prosodic perceptive skills that are so vital in the development of beginning readers.

The Grannyman

The Grannyman by Judith Schachner. tells the endearing story of an old cat who finds new purpose in life as he takes a new kitten under his wing.

This piece was composed for solo violin and narrator. At the end of the performance, children have an opportunity to try a tiny violin sized just for them!

Scitch-Scratch a Perfect Match

Scritch-Scratch a Perfect Match was the premier book for the Symphony Tales program. Author Kim Marcus tells an amusing story of a pesky flea who decides to hitch a ride on an unsuspecting pup. Through his journey to rid himself of this flea, a new friendship is formed between the pup and a helpful man.

This piece was composed for solo cello and narrator. At the end of the program, children are able to play on a cello that is sized just for them.

 

Education Director

Education Director Terry Wolkowicz’s innovative and creative approach to designing music education curriculum has made the NBSO a leader in educational programming. Now in her ninth season with the NBSO, she continues to create innovative programming that connects classical music to our South Coast children’s lives and to encourage learning by exploring concepts that are authentically shared between classical… 

Educational Programs

Learning in concert

This program is designed as a unified, comprehensive, three-phase curriculum project spanning an entire school year. LIC uses a concept-based arts integration model where a musical concept is explored alongside other art and academic areas that authentically... 

SEMAYO

The Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (SEMAYO) program was established in 2008 under the auspices of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra for students from beginners to advanced college players.

symphony tales

The Symphony Tales program is a music and literacy educational program geared to children ages four through seven. In the Symphony Tales program, children attend a reading of a popular children’s book while being accompanied by a live musical performance by a New Bedford Symphony Orchestra musician.

PATHWAY TO PERFORMANCE

The NBSO has introduced Pathway to Performance, a free private lesson program in partnership with New Bedford schools, erasing another barrier preventing all our young people from having equitable access to instrumental performance instruction. Educating and enriching the lives of children is a central part of our mission. By offering a Pathway to Performance to children who love music and want it to be a big part of their life, we are expanding and deepening this commitment to our community.

PARENTING TEENS PROGRAM

The NBSO has partnered with the New Bedford Parenting Teens program to offer a weekly music course to teen parents. In the course, students explore the benefits of a creating a bedtime routine for their child and throughout the semester composed their own lullaby.

Lullaby

by the Students in the New Bedford Parenting Teens Program

Pre-K Music and Literacy

The Pre-K Music and Literacy program is designed to explore the connection between the rhythmic features of words and the rhythmic sounds in music. The NBSO is partnering with New Bedford elementary Schools through classroom visits where the children explore the syllable number and stress patterns through rhythmic drumming and speaking. The program is based on the NBSO's new children's storybook and new musical composition entitled, "A Concert at the Zoo."

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