The Sarasota Orchestra has received a $20,000 grant from The Exchange for the 2018 Young Person’s Concerts, helping to ensure that all fourth and fifth graders in Sarasota and Manatee Counties have the opportunity to experience world-class orchestral music. Each autumn, professionally crafted curriculum packets are developed and distributed to more than 60 public, private and home school organizations in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Nearly 10,000 fourth and fifth graders are then invited to a special performance at either the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall or the North Port Performing Arts Center. The curriculum packets distributed to the schools include detailed, year-long lesson plans with information on the composers, the titles of their works and other vocabulary relating to the concerts. A CD containing the music and an interactive, teaching DVD is provided for each classroom. The curriculum guides ensure that teachers are able to prepare students for a full concert experience, weaving music education and instrumental performance into regularly scheduled lesson plans.

Sarasota Orchestra