For over twelve years, the CCO’s well-orchestrated

Youth Outreach Program has made an excellent

classical music experience available to school-age

children in and around Tompkins County.

Last spring, an ensemble of CCO musicians visited

over thirty five second grade classrooms and

introduced the children to the joys of classical music

by inviting them to “Become Musical Detectives”.  

Students were led into a world of musical mystery.  

They were given “Basic Music Clues” and were

invited to “Spot the Clues...Spot the Building Blocks of Music!”.  

They heard music by Aaron Copland, Franz von Suppe’,

and Igot Stravinsky, and they spent time

listening for melody, harmony, rhythm, and bass line.  

For the first time, many of these children

experienced classical music, and were introduced to

some of the musical instruments they might

choose to study in the third or fourth grade.

In This Three-Part Program:

 - A docent musician from the CCO visited each school

to introduce the second grade classes to the

theme and prepare them for the upcoming visit of...

-A small ensemble of CCO musicians who

further elaborated on this year’s theme of

“mystery and music”.  These professional musicians

engaged the children in an up-close introduction to

the oboe, viola, violin and cello.  They talked about music

as a universal language, as a vehicle for

expression...that there are no right or wrong answers

about how music makes you feel.  The quartet

prepared the students for the culminating

concert of the season by the...

-Ithaca High School Orchestra under the direction

of George Myers.  The second graders were all bussed to

the high school for this entertaining and engaging concert.  

This award-winning high school orchestra, the nation’s oldest

continuously running school orchestra, introduced

all of the instruments in the orchestra and then

tailored their concert selections to the themed

music that the students had heard in their classrooms.

Research shows that studying an instrument

enhances in-class motivation, understanding,

academic performance and test scores. The CCO’s hope

is that children will choose to participate in

their school’s instrumental music program,

and that they will continue their musical

study in a high school ensemble (or even further!).  

Enthusiasm and interest in music can make

such a difference for these children, and the

CCO is delighted to bring this program

to their classrooms.