Symphony in Schools

Symphony in Schools brings HSO chamber music ensembles into the classroom for interactive and collaborative performances. Students learn all about musical instruments and the way they work and sound together, hear some incredible music, and absorb a blending of arts and academics in an engaging, interdisciplinary presentation.

Download our Teacher’s Guide for engaging learning activities and lesson plans centered around our Symphony in Schools programs.

Request an ensemble by submitting a Program Registration form. Please book performances no later than 6 weeks in advance of the concert date. With questions, email the Education Coordinator, Miriam Engel, at mengel@hartfordsymphony.org.

Masterclass – NEW!

Many of our Hartford Symphony musicians are teachers in addition to performers. Masterclasses provide an opportunity to bring a professional musician to your school to perform solo, to guest coach student ensembles, and to share experiences about being a performer and having a career in music.

Grade Level: K-12
Curriculum Focus: Music, Career Readiness
Fee: $300

The Two-Frog Duo

Ever wonder how a violin is made? What exactly is the bow made out of? The Two-Frog Duo will introduce students to the string family and examine what makes a violin a violin. Join them as they perform music from various parts of the world and explain how each of these places has impacted the making of the violin. The program is enhanced with a PowerPoint presentation that brings to life the journey the group takes around the world. Works include Piazzolla, Shostakovich, Telemann and a piece from the movie “Madagascar.”

Grade Level: K-5
Curriculum Focus: English, Social Studies
Fee: $450

The Mosaic String Trio

The Mosaic String Trio uses literature, music, and art to explore how we express ourselves. The ensemble will perform a mix of music by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schnittke, and a diverse mix of cultural, folk, and popular music. The program is enhanced with a PowerPoint presentation that showcases the world’s great masterpieces of art, architecture, and literature. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate as music makers on rhythm instruments with the ensemble.

Grade Level: 1-8
Curriculum Focus: English
Fee: $650

The Woodwind Quartet

The Woodwind Quartet introduces students to the instruments of the woodwind family by taking a musical voyage around the world. The musicians will have their map ready to show students their journey as they learn about the composers, where they are from, and how their music is influenced by that culture. Each musician will teach students about the instrument they play (clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon), including the mechanics behind playing the instrument, what it’s made from, and more.

Grade Level: K-8
Curriculum Focus: English, Social Studies
Fee: $1,000

The Hartford Symphony String Quartet

Musical drama unfolds with this dynamic program from the HSO String Quartet: a wild ride through the woods, an epic adventure with Don Quixote, an eerie journey into a minimalist world, and a passionate night of dancing in Romania.

Grade Level: 3-8
Curriculum Focus: English
Fee: $1,000

A Piacere String Quartet

The A Piacere String Quartet presents a dynamic review of various musical periods (from Vivaldi to Penderecki) accentuated with a diverse set of examples. Depending on the age of the audience this group explores interdisciplinary art relationships and historical context or provides more rudimentary insight into the works performed.

Grade Level: 6-12
Curriculum Focus: English
Fee: $1,000

HSO Jazz Quartet

Explore the world of jazz by diving into history and dissecting musical form! Learn how some of the most influential jazz composers used rhythm, improvisation, and more to change our experience of music, from the genre’s beginnings in New Orleans all the way up to the present. Our journey through jazz will also take us to local landscapes, with featured composers from Connecticut – Dave Brubeck, Jackie McLean, and Horace Silver.

Grade Level: K-12
Curriculum Focus: English
Fee: $1,100

The Wind Quintet

The Wind Quintet explores the concept of numbers in music. This concert introduces the importance of numbers when playing music: how many people are in a group, in what order they play, how numbers are used to stay together (students will learn 2/4 and 3/4 beat patterns), and how loud or soft the music is, using a “woodwind quintet volume control.” This concert features music by Farkas, Beethoven, Françaix, Hindemith, and Nielsen among others.

Grade Level: 1-8
Curriculum Focus: English, Mathematics
Fee: $1,200

The Brass Quintet - New!

Join HSO’s Brass Quintet on a whimsical musical adventures with José, our young hero, as he travels over land, sea, and air to rejoin his family: spend a day with a raucous circus troupe, navigate the Southwestern desert, battle pirates on the Colorado River, and finally arrive at the bullring in Tijuana, where Jose’s cousin makes his debut as a Matador. Infused with thrilling music that triggers the imagination, the musical journey features the entire brass family individually and collectively, helping students understand the power of the individual – and what can be achieved when we work together.

Grade Level: 1-5
Curriculum Focus: English, Social Studies
Fee: $1,200