Liz Russell ’17 spent her summer engaging more students in the sounds of music courtesy of Symphoria, Central New York’s Orchestra.
Russell is an English major with minors in music and arts administration. At Symphoria, she is worked in the Education and Outreach department, creating educational materials. Typically, her lesson plans coordinated with Symphoria’s small ensemble performances created for school groups. Symphoria sent Russell’s plans and activities to Syracuse-area music teachers to integrate into their own classrooms this fall. Her lessons meet Common Core Standards while still retaining elements of fun. “It was a real delight creating these lessons,” she says. “I really enjoyed the process of developing curricula for the elementary school age group. I had to think about what kinds of activities and lessons I could develop that would engage students who might not be as open to classical music as I am.” Engaging in music has been a passion for Russell. “Music has played such a huge role in my life. I take private lessons, participate in honor ensembles, attend concerts, and collect records. It seemed natural that I sought out an internship that had a musical focus.”
Russell’s lessons focus on different elements of music: rhythm, melody, and music as story. “For example, when students are learning about music as story, they will listen to Mendelssohn’s Nocturne from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and think about what impact the musical elements of the piece have on the mood of the music,” says Russell. “Then they’ll be asked to contemplate how they could alter the piece to evoke other moods.” In creating these plans, Russell drew from her own learning experiences with classical music. “I thought about what would have engaged me in the different pieces of classical music literature. I’m a firm believer that children will learn more when they create, so the majority of my lessons focus on direct interaction with the music students are learning about,” she says.
The stereotype that only adults can enjoy the symphony is, according to Russell, completely unfounded, especially in light of Symphoria’s unique programming. “I know that a lot of kids that I’ve worked with in other opportunities typically snub classical music and assume they won’t enjoy it, which saddens me. I think it’s important for all children, not just young musicians, to be exposed to music beyond what is on the radio or what their parents listen to. The realm of classical music is so vast and interesting—I feel that there is something out there for everyone, especially young people,” says Russell. “Symphoria has developed a really engaging children’s series and is making great efforts to engage students and coordinate with local schools. I’m excited that that the work that I’ve been doing this summer will help students appreciate music. I hope that at least a few students who participate in our programs will return for other concerts and continue to come to our other programs throughout the season.”
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English
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Arts Administration