More on the BCO's Educational Outreach Mission

BCO's education and outreach mission is to design, develop, and implement quality education programs that foster the skills needed for a lifelong involvement with orchestral music; to advocate for musical opportunities and arts education; to create opportunities for music to be accessible to all; and develop partnerships and collaborations with musicians, educational institutions, community organizations, and individuals.

Through its education and outreach efforts, BCO will develop vital relationships with community organizations and cultural institutions. We are committed to opening the doors to symphonic music through programs that are flexible, accessible and affordable. Anyone, regardless of age or musical background, is welcome to explore the richness of this amazing musical resource.

By offering youth and families as well as other underserved populations tickets at discounted rates, providing curriculum and study guides for school age children, arranging pre-or post show discussions, offering opportunities for community members to observe dress rehearsals, engaging in an ongoing dialogue with an ever-growing list of community groups, and visiting community sites to give presentations and workshops, BCO hopes to maintain strong personal connections and showcase BCO as an accessible community arts resource.

Education Programs

BCO's Education and Outreach program seeks to:

implement quality music and music education and artistic outreach programs for people of all ages that foster the skills needed for a lifelong involvement with orchestral music and that develop audiences for this music;

develop partnerships and collaborations with educational institutions, community organizations, musicians and other individuals in pursuit of these objectives; and

advocate for musical opportunities and arts education, based on an understanding of current educational research, theories and practices, state Department of Education standards for arts education, and the National Standards for Arts Education.

To meet these goals our in-school enrichment program targets elementary, middle-school and high school students at the Dever Elementary School, McCormack Middle School and Boston Arts Academy. Schools in the Boston Public School System with students made up primarily of low-income students from at-risk areas of Boston, especially Dorchester and Roxbury.

In addition we are striving toward three short-term goals:

Youth - Replicating our successful in-school enrichment program at the Boston Arts Academy at other sites. This program was implemented in 2004-2005 at the Dever Elementary and McCormack Middle Schools in Dorchester.
Committee of Consulting Educators - This committee of music educators and administrators from the Boston Public Schools actively works with the Music Director to create a special ongoing music curriculum and youth concert.
Youth Meets the BCO - a cooperative undergraduate education program initiated by the BCO with collaborators at area conservatories and college music departments, focusing on concerts with particular educative value and involving the pre-concert lecture, master classes with commissioned composers, study guides elaborated from program notes, and a workshop series built around a single theme.

The season and outreach activities are funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Arnold Hiatt & Family, Juniper Networks Foundation, Citizens Bank, Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation & Morgan Stanley.

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