STORIES OF NOTE
COMPOSING THE FUTURE OF LIVE SYMPHONIC MUSIC Innovative programming focused on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility is paving a new path for music education in Colorado By Nick Dobreff
“Education in music is most sovereign because more than anything else rhythm and harmony find their way to the innermost soul and take strongest hold upon it.” – Plato
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ducation is the foundation upon which our future is built —it opens young minds to new worlds of possibility, bridges cultural and social divides, and creates pathways to previously unimagined opportunities. For the Colorado Symphony, education is at the forefront of an innovative approach to ensuring a bright, equitable, and accessible future for live, symphonic music in Colorado. Research into music education continues to demonstrate cognitive and social skill benefits for children who participate in music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University, a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. Other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, and enhances abilities to give and receive constructive criticism. It is with these benefits in mind that each year more than 25,000 students in grades 3-12 engage with the Colorado Symphony to learn and experience the exciting, engaging, and enriching world of symphonic music. But a renewed focus on accessibility and a synergistic approach to programming have taken Colorado Symphony education programs to even higher levels in recent years.
C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G
