February 27, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … The Oregon Symphony Education and Community Programs Department will hold a free docent training session for volunteers from around the community on March 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, at which docents will learn about “The Colors of Music,” the second Youth Concert of the 2003-04 season. These volunteers are being recruited and trained to make classroom visits which will prepare third through fifth graders for an upcoming Symphony Youth Concert in April.
During the training session, Symphony staff will take the docent trainees through an overview of the concert program and help them prepare classroom presentations. “The Colors of Music” encourages students from third through fifth grades to explore and distinguish among the numerous voices within the symphony orchestra, identify how contrasting timbre and styles can affect mood in music, and discover the connections music shares with the visual arts.
The Education and Community Programs Department offers several trainings per symphony season, as part of their continuing effort to increase the number of school visits by enlisting volunteers from outside the Symphony organization. This year the Education and Community Programs Department is also expanding its recruitment to include volunteers from the Salem/Keizer area. The volunteer docents will visit area elementary classrooms to prepare students for Youth Concerts held in both Portland and Salem in late April. They will talk about the instruments of the orchestra and the music that students will hear during the concert. Using a variety of visual and aural teaching aids, docents lead students through a listening lesson of musical excerpts that will be performed on the upcoming concert. CD’s with musical excerpts and materials are provided for use in the classroom free of charge.
“Oregon Symphony docents prepare our youngest audience members for their concert experience by inspiring a love and understanding of music,” said Director of Education and Community Programs Michael Kosmala.
Assistant Conductor Mei-Ann Chen leads the Symphony in “The Color of Music” Youth Concerts, scheduled for April. 26 and April 27 at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and April 30 at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in Salem’s Smith Auditorium.
People interested in becoming an Oregon Symphony docent should call the Oregon Symphony Education and Community Programs Department at 503-228-4294 for more information.
