Musical Circus | Pasadena Youth Symphony Ochestra | Mentor Programs
Pre-Concert Lectures | Tempo! Program
It's nothing short of show-stopping, rip-snorting, hand-clapping-and-toe-tapping fun like you have never seen before at the Musical Circus events The Pasadena Symphony has scheduled for the 2000-2001 season. Held the morning of each concert, this free three-part program - now in its seventh year - continues to thrill and delight both children and parents by first giving children a chance to actually handle and try instruments, and then offering music performances that include lots of audience participation. Families are also invited to attend orchestra rehearsals that follow in the main auditorium.
Musical Circus is a free event recommended for children ten years of age and under. It is held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 300 East Green Street in Pasadena. The schedule for a Musical Circus morning is:
8:30AM - 9:00 AM Musical Instrument Petting Zoo
Children and their parents travel from table to table to look at and hold various musical instruments on display. Young volunteers are available to show children the correct way to hold the instruments and to teach them how the instrument makes musical notes.9:00AM - 10:00 AM Family Concert
Following the hands-on portion of the event, families are invited upstairs to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium's Gold Room for a short concert by professional musicians. Over the course of the season, the concerts introduce families to various types of music. The short concerts are designed to be interactive and entertaining for the children. A list of performers for the 2000-2001 season follows. After the short concert, Jerri Price, the Symphony's Education Director, leads all the children and families in a sing-along.10:00AM - 12:00 PM The Pasadena Symphony Concert Rehearsal
After the concert and sing-along, families are welcome to sit in on an open rehearsal of The Pasadena Symphony in the concert hall. The Symphony, under the leadership of its Music Director Jorge Mester, will rehearse the selections for that evening's concert. The entire orchestra will be present, along with any soloists scheduled for that concert.Education Director Jerri Price has made painstaking efforts to bring in new and dynamic performers and musicians for each of the events. "It's important to show the children good examples of great music-making," says Price. "I want them to see and hear and experience nothing but the best!"
Don't miss the Musical Circus events scheduled for the 2000-2001 season!
August 5, 2000 Karapetyan String Quartet
PLEASE NOTE: This event starts at 10:00a.m. and does not include the Symphony rehearsal.
The Karapetyan Quartet is comprised of musicians trained in Armenia, who have performed worldwide with music organizations such as the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baroque Ensemble of "Takeran," the Yanni Orchestra, the Pasadena Pops and the Long Beach Symphony. The quartet will perform a family-friendly concert of ethnic music of Armenia and Armenian folk songs.October 21, 2000 Karen Golden, Master Storyteller and Performer
Karen Golden began telling stories at age three and playing the saxophone at age eight. She is now a master storyteller and musician who performs to audiences nationwide at educational institutions and for television and radio, including performances for NPR and the Los Angeles Times.November 11, 2000 Wicked Tinkers, Pipes and Drums
The Wicked Tinkers are "rebellious, renegades of rhythm" - five percussionists who began their collaborative career in 1991 at the Celtic Arts Center in Los Angeles.January 20, 2001 Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra
The PYSO offers a rigorous training program for talented junior high school students and has consistently won top honors at national and international competitions. The PYSO is an educational outreach component of The Pasadena Symphony.February 3, 2001 Alkebu-lan Boy Choir
The Alkebu-lan Boy Choir was organized in 1990 to recruit youngsters between ages 8-14 and teach them music theory, appreciation, voice technique and choral harmony. They have appeared on KCET and toured Europe.March 3, 2001 String Family Players
The String Family Players is a quintet of professional musicians and teachers whose interactive program aims to teach children an appreciation for classical music. They have appeared at the Hollywood Bowl and the Getty Museum.March 31, 2001 Pasadena Saxophone Quartet
The Pasadena Saxophone Quartet has been performing together since 1993. Their repertoire contains an equal mix of classical and popular music.May 5, 2001 Greggy Dee, Children Entertainer
Greggy Dee is a fifteen year veteran of the stage and screen. He currently produces "The Greggy Dee Show," a live interactive musical stage presentation featuring music and story-songs from his popular children's albums.June 9, 2001 The All-American Sing-Along
The All American Sing-Along is a fun and high-spirited event that includes the entire audience. It was started in 1999 by Education Director and vocalist, Jerri Price, and enlists the talents of Marianne Twohey, Drew Warren, and Paul Romero on piano.PLEASE NOTE:All programs, artists and dates are subject to change
Musical Circus is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Boeing, Metropolitan Associates, Old Town Music, and Rotary Club of Pasadena.
Please call Jerri Price, Education Director at (626) 793-7172, ext. 18
Free parking available in the Marengo Street parking lot between Green Street and Colorado Blvd.
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO), conducted by Richard Meyer, has been training tomorrow's classical musicians for 28 years. Considered to be among the best youth orchestras in the world, this exceptional ensemble is comprised of middle school-age students from grades seven through nine. These committed young people receive advanced instruction and challenging music opportunities through this rigorous program. Over the years, the orchestra has won top honors at competitions around the globe and has performed at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Carnegie Hall in New York City, the International Youth & Music Festival in Vienna, and the Disneyland Music Festival. The orchestra recently completed a successful tour of the Pacific Northwest and Victoria, Canada.
Sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grade students audition to become members of the PYSO each fall. Auditions for the 2000-2001 season will be held September 30, 2000 and October 1, 2000. To receive an application to audition, please call (626) 793-7172 ext.18.
The PYSO has scheduled two free concerts for the 2000-2001 season:
Monday, December 4, 2000, 7:30p.m.
Holiday Concert
Wilson Middle School
300 South Madre
Pasadena, CA 91107Sunday, May 6, 2001, 3:30p.m.
Spring Community Concert
Pasadena Civic Auditorium
300 E. Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
Sponsored by City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division/Pasadena Arts Commission.Please call Jerri Price, Education Director at (626) 793-7172, ext. 18.
Through the Mentor Program, members of The Pasadena Symphony provide coaching throughout the year to middle school students at three Pasadena public schools: Eliot, Washington, and Wilson. Aspiring music students learn first hand about phrasing, technique, musical interpretation, and much more from the veteran musicians. The goal of the program is to improve the technical skills and artistry of young musicians, and to encourage students to stay involved in their school music programs. Please call Jerri Price, Education Director at (626) 793-7172, ext. 18.
Presented prior to each of The Pasadena Symphony's concerts, the Pre-Concert Lectures feature leading musicologists who give entertaining and informative talks about the works being performed to help draw audiences into the performances. Lectures also include historical backgrounds on the composers and the periods in which they lived. The Pre-Concert Lectures begin at 7:00p.m. and are free to concert ticket holders.
The lecturers scheduled for the 2000-2001 season are:
October 21, 2000 Rene Engel
Rene Engel, General Manager of KCSN 88.5, is host of "CityBilly" (Sunday, 5:00-7:00 pm) and the new daily arts magazine show "Let's Do Lunch." (Monday-Friday, noon to 1:00 pm). A respected and innovative force on the Los Angeles public radio scene, Engel began his career at KCSN in 1978. In 1980, he brought his talents to KCRW. He went on to become one of the architects of the eclectic programming that brought KCRW into prominence. Following his tenure at KCRW, Engel, brought his talent to KPCC and KUSC before returning to KCSN in 1997. In addition to building a loyal and sizable audience throughout his public radio career, Engel has hosted some of the most successful concert series on the Los Angeles music scene including the Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series for eight years and Jazz at the Wadsworth for five years.November 11, 2000 Peter Schickele
Composer, musician, author, satirist - Peter Schickele is internationally recognized as one of the most versatile artists in the field of music. His works, now well in excess of 100 for symphony orchestras, choral groups, chamber ensembles, voice, movies, and television, have given him "a leading role in the ever-more-prominent school of American composers who unselfconsciously blend all levels of American music." (John Rockwell, The New York Times) Schickele, best known for his musical alter ego P.D.Q. Bach, demonstrates his flair for Americana in his new work, receiving its world premiere at the November 11 concert, Cello Concerto, In Memoriam FDR.January 20, 2001 Dr. Byron Adams
An internationally-recognized composer, Byron Adams is associate professor of music at the University of California, Riverside. At home, his music has been performed at the Eastman School of Music, Harvard and Yale Universities, and Carnegie Recital Hall, while abroad it has been heard at the Leith Hill Festival in England, the Conservatoire Americain in France, and the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music in Poland. Adams has lectured on 20th century English music for the BBC and the American Musicological Society and has been published in Current Musicology, The Musical Quarterly, and MLA Notes.February 3, 2001 Dr. William Toutant
Born in Worcester, MA, Toutant received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from George Washington University and his Ph.D. from Michigan State. In 1975, he joined the music faculty of California State University, Northridge, where he has served as the Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Media and Communication since 1987. He also co-hosts the "KCSN Opera House" show on the University's radio station. When not occupied with his various administrative duties, Toutant turns his talents to composing. His works have been performed in the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, France, Italy and Romania. His Small Suite for Piano was included on the New American Romantics CD put out by North/South recordings, and his orchestral works Arcanae and Peregrinations II were released by Capstone on the Black Sea Idyll collection.March 3, 2001 Dr. Byron Adams
An internationally-recognized composer, Byron Adams is associate professor of music at the University of California, Riverside. At home, his music has been performed at the Eastman School of Music, Harvard and Yale Universities, and Carnegie Recital Hall, while abroad it has been heard at the Leith Hill Festival in England, the Conservatoire Americain in France, and the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music in Poland. Adams has lectured on 20th century English music for the BBC and the American Musicological Society and has been published in Current Musicology, The Musical Quarterly, and MLA Notes.March 31, 2001 Dr. Alan Smith
Dr Alan Smith serves as the Director of the Keyboard Collaborative Arts Program at The University of Southern California the oldest and largest program of its kind in the country. Dr Smith enjoys a reputation as one of the United States' most highly regarded collaborative pianists and teachers of collaborative artistry. His expertise and experience in song literature, chamber music, and opera make him sought after as an accompanist, coach, faculty colleague, and teacher of master classes and adjudicator of both areas and international competitions. Dr Smith served for more than a decade as a member of the vocal coaching faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center. In March 1998 he took a composer's bow at the Lincoln Center where Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano, Stephanie Blythe performed his songs, accompanied by Pianist Warren Jones.Dr. Smith is a contributor to Piano and Keyboard magazine and his articles and reviews on various aspects of collaborative artistry have appeared in the magazine, The American Music Teacher.
May 5, 2001 Dr. Byron Adams
An internationally-recognized composer, Byron Adams is associate professor of music at the University of California, Riverside. At home, his music has been performed at the Eastman School of Music, Harvard and Yale Universities, and Carnegie Recital Hall, while abroad it has been heard at the Leith Hill Festival in England, the Conservatoire Americain in France, and the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music in Poland. Adams has lectured on 20th century English music for the BBC and the American Musicological Society and has been published in Current Musicology, The Musical Quarterly, and MLA Notes.June 9, 2001 Rene Engel
Rene Engel, General Manager of KCSN 88.5, is host of "CityBilly" (Sunday, 5:00-7:00 pm) and the new daily arts magazine show "Let's Do Lunch." (Monday-Friday, noon to 1:00 pm). A respected and innovative force on the Los Angeles public radio scene, Engel began his career at KCSN in 1978. In 1980, he brought his talents to KCRW. He went on to become one of the architects of the eclectic programming that brought KCRW into prominence. Following his tenure at KCRW, Engel, brought his talent to KPCC and KUSC before returning to KCSN in 1997. In addition to building a loyal and sizable audience throughout his public radio career, Engel has hosted some of the most successful concert series on the Los Angeles music scene including the Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series for eight years and Jazz at the Wadsworth for five years.Please call Jerri Price, Education Director at (626) 793-7172, ext. 18.
TEMPO! Teaching the Essentials through Music Participation and Observation, is a partnership project between The Pasadena Symphony and the Pasadena Unified School District. Designed by the Symphony in cooperation with teachers and school principals, the partnership aims to increase music education opportunities for students and their teachers, using both skills-based instruction and the integration of music into the core curriculum. Through the use of a music-infused curriculum, teacher training, school concerts, and resource provision, TEMPO! supports national and state arts standards.
Music-Infused Curriculum
The Grade Two TEMPO! curriculum resource book features a series of lesson maps which are linked to children’s literature. Each lesson map is story-based and provides the starting point to develop understanding in and through music. Activities, extensions, and teacher tips accompany the lessons and further deepen connections across the curriculum.
Teacher Training
Interactive, hands-on workshops familiarize teachers with the use of the Curriculum Resource Book and related materials. Lessons are modeled and resources demonstrated, and teachers are guided in the use of arts teaching strategies. Further support is provided throughout the year in the form of on-site visits by the Symphony’s Director of Education.
Resource Provision
Each school is equipped with a resource box for each of the participating grades. The Grade Two Pasadena Symphony Treasure Box contains books, CDs, tapes, rhythm instruments, and a set of scarves with an accompanying tape, a Music Quilt, and art supplies. This insures access and availability of the materials and contributes to the successful delivery of the TEMPO! curriculum.
School Concerts or Classroom Presentations
Throughout the year, TEMPO! students attend a series of seven exciting school concerts. Professional musicians perform for several classes at a time, which enables students to see, hear, and interact with the performers in an intimate setting.
A variety of music styles and groupings are demonstrated and an information/activity packet is provided to assist teachers in concert preparation and follow-up.
Parent Involvement
Parents Bring Education About TEMPO! Home (BEAT) is a supporting component of the TEMPO! Program. Information/Activity packets are sent home with every student, and parents are provided with a concert schedule. The Information/Activity packet contains games, instrument making instructions, drawings and puzzles for parents to enjoy with their children. A suggested listening list is also included.
