Early childhood
The Greensboro Symphony’s nationally recognized OrKIDStra program is an interactive classroom and concert experience, emphasizing literacy, drumming, and musical expression for children enrolled in Head Start. OrKIDStra classes and concerts take place in Guilford, Alamance, Davidson, Rockingham, and Randolph Counties.
The OrKIDStra class component began in 2017 at Guilford Child Development’s Elm Street Center. The structure is inspired by symphony programs around the country and influenced by Edwin Gordon’s research on how children learn music.
In OrKIDstra classes, children receive weekly instruction from Greensboro Symphony musicians and staff, engagement live music at the highest level, and customized musical instruction. Children sing new and familiar songs, add movement to music, discover patterns, get hands-on drumming experience, and develop potential for future musical creating, listening, and expression.
Every spring, the Greensboro Symphony percussion ensemble performs OrKIDStra concerts for four- and five- year olds. The OrKIDStra concert program fosters language and literacy skills along with positive messages of diversity, inclusion, and self-worth. At each concert, a professional storyteller and the ensemble combine to bring a children’s book to life with sing-alongs, big-screen visual projections, and live music. Each child in Head Start receives their own copy of the chosen book. The OrKIDStra concert series also includes performances open to the public at community venues in Greensboro.
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