Chamber music that reflects grade-school students’ lives?   A classical program that’s informal, nontraditional–and uses kids’ creative input?

That’s exactly what Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presents, in their free virtual educational concert, “Meet the Music”.

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During isolation, “Meet the Music” offers a new opportunity for homeschooling parents and educators: to add music to the curriculum.

It’s also just one of LACO’s  innovative approaches to making classical music accessible to everyone.

On April 28th, LACO posted “Meet the Music” as a virtual on-demand concert, for fourth- to sixth-graders.

This is not our parents’ chamber music–or even ours, as we were growing up.

A new accessibility

Recorded in Santa Monica in November, 2019, for an audience of elementary students, the program immediately gives the young audience a “feel” of informality.  The concert involves the students as active participants–in several different ways.

And “Meet the Music” is just one of the free programs which LACO is currently offering, to introduce new audiences to their music.  Through their “LACO At Home” program, they offer in-demand concerts and visits with their various musical professionals.

Ben Cadwallader is Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Executive Director.  His background includes both educational and musical innovation: prior to his current position, he took some exciting creative risks.  His goal: to take classical music “out of the concert hall” and bring it to wider audiences.  Ben’s previous musical experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, as well as his time as Educational Director at Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Ben talked about the ways “Meet the Music” engages young audiences, the other ways in which music can be used to teach S.T.E.A.M. concepts and the additional distance programs LACO is offering during the pandemic.  In addition, he explained how you can add your creative input to Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s future programming!

On this edition of Over Coffee® you will hear:

• How Ben’s own educational journey led him to make live concert music his life’s work;

• The mindset that enables him to create new educational programming and a new direction in unprecedented circumstances;

• How”Meet the Music” personalizes music to their fourth- to sixth-grade audience;

• What’s coming up, as LACO moves forward with “Meet the Music”;

• An unexpected response to a recent live concert for elementary students;

• Ben’s perspective on STEAM, and how music can teach science and math;

• A mini-physics lesson, based on music!;

• What Ben’s experience was like, in his new position at LACO (he started just before the pandemic forced Californians to isolate!)

• What’s inspiring him the most, creatively, during the pandemic;

• How Ben is looking at personalizing music experiences for future audiences, based on “Meet the Music”;

• A creative “failure” that led to a future success, in his experience;

• Some exciting ways in which future listeners can get involved with LACO (think ideas and creative input!)