Education Programs

Young Musician Initiative

The Young Musician Initiative (YMI) was launched by the NMPhil in 2013. It is an in-depth music education program for Title 1 elementary school students. Based on the internationally renowned El Sistema Program, YMI builds confidence and instills life skills that serve them immediately and throughout their lives. The students receive vocal and rhythm training, private lessons, and sectional practice with their chosen instrument, and full orchestra rehearsal. They perform regularly for audiences both small and large. READ MORE

CONTACT
For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Program Director:
Matt Hart
ymi@nmphil.org
(505) 323-4343 x 5

Youth Concerts at Popejoy

Over 10,000 fourth and fifth grade students from the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) and surrounding school districts attend every year one live symphony orchestra concert at Popejoy Hall. 

The concerts include narration with music programming of varied musical styles presented with opportunities for audience participation. 

Learning packets are distributed to the participating classroom teachers in advance containing materials that integrate musical concepts and pre-concert activities to relate the music to academic disciplines and to maximize the students’ understanding and appreciation of the live orchestra performances. The materials for these packets are being developed and produced in partnership with the New Mexico Philharmonic and the APS Fine Arts Department. The concert experience is further enhanced with:

Visual images and live video projected on a screen above the orchestra to add visual interest and help visual learners with the music experience Award Winning Young soloists from the Albuquerque Public Schools are chosen to perform with the orchestra. 

Approximately 90 elementary schools in the area participate and of those, 64 are currently Title I schools with at least 50% of their enrolled students eligible for reduced priced meals. For most of these students, this concerts area rare opportunity to experience the excitement of live classical music. Teachers and volunteer parent chaperones also participate in the concerts. 

Participating organizations include the Festival Ballet dancers, APS Fine Arts Department, and the public school band and orchestra programs that recruit students. The Music Guild of New Mexico provides ushering volunteers.

Sample program from past seasons:

• Smith Star Spangled Banner
• Rossini Guillaume Tell (William Tell): Overture (Allegro)
• Rimsky-Korsakov Tale of the Tsar Saltan: Flight of the Bumblebee
• Saint-Saëns Danse macabre, op.40
• Mozart Concerto, Clarinet, K.622, A major (III. Rondo: Allegro)  
• Bologne Symphony No.2, op.11, no.2, D major (I. Allegro presto)
• Khachaturian Masquerade: Suite (Galop)

Measurable Results

Teacher surveys measure the impact of the concert with brief but targeted questions designed to assess the success of the programming and presentation. We use this information to make improvements on future concerts, and to guide programming decisions for maximum artistic and academic impact on the children. 

Surveys are conducted online included immediately after each concert series. 

Anticipated measurable results are:

• 80% positive responses to the written teachers survey
• 1,300 students per concert

CONTACT
For more information or to schedule a visit, contact President & CEO:
Marian Tanau
mtanau@nmphil.org
(505) 323-4343 x 2

Educational Programming: In-School Ensemble Visits

New Mexico Philharmonic musicians visit schools to perform and demonstrate string, woodwind, percussion, or brass instruments to small groups of students. 

The musicians discuss the instruments, music structure and music literature. There are four groups of musicians who conduct the ensemble visits to introduce the students to the four types of instruments. Each group of musicians introduces the children to the instruments, presenting the information in an accessible and engaging manner with humor, demonstrations, and stories.

The visits are designed to encourage interaction and to maximize the one-on-one approach of the visits. To keep the children’s attention, verbal presentations alternate with short musical performances, often including excerpts from popular movies, like Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Children are asked to speculate on various topics and are also invited to ask their own questions.

CONTACT
For more information or to schedule a visit, contact President & CEO:
Marian Tanau
mtanau@nmphil.org
(505) 323-4343 x 2

Symphony for Autism

The Symphony for Autism is the first of its kind in the US, and likely the world. The NMPhil full orchestra performs a regular concert live in Popejoy Hall for an audience composed exclusively of children with significant degrees of autism. While music is often used for and with children with autism, full regular concerts are not. Children with moderate to significant autism are seldom taken even one by one to such concerts because of parents’ concern for their behavior. Over 300 of the 800 APS students with moderate to severe autism have now attended. Ultimately all APS children with autism will have the opportunity to attend each year.

Mission: Graduate & NMPhil

missiongraduatenm.org

The NMPhil’s education programs are recognized as full partners with Mission: Graduate. Our programs serve the long term strategy of creating the solid foundations of a love of education and schools that are a key part of keeping students in school and completing their educations.

Mission: Graduate is a cradle-to-career education partnership in Central New Mexico, which includes the counties of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia. Its goal is to add 60,000 new college degrees and certificates to Central New Mexico by 2020.