Children's Programs through the LA Philharmonic

A woman I work with told me about the LA Philharmonic's programs for children. It turns out they have an amazing number of things going on, many of them free or low cost. Here's a sample:

Toyota Symphonies for Youth: Eight concerts created especially for children age five to eleven and their families. Conducted by Assistant Conductors Joana Carneiro and Lionel Bringuier, and Conducting Fellow Ward Stare, these concerts are a perennial favorite of old and young alike. Pre-concert activities such as art-making, singing, dancing, and story-telling open this fun-filled and thrilling event.

SummerSounds: Music and Art for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl: Six weeks of morning concerts and fine arts activities engage children and their families in learning about the world of music.

Youth Orchestra Los Angeles: Inspired by the pending arrival of Gustavo Dudamel as the LA Philharmonic’s music director, and El Sistema, the music education system that nurtured him, the Philharmonic has initiated with partners and community stakeholders plans to increase access to quality instrumental music instruction and youth orchestra experience for Los Angeles children with limited resources. The first youth orchestra established as part of this initiative is the EXPO Center Youth Orchestra in Central LA – a partnership between the LA Philharmonic, The Harmony Project, and the EXPO Center, a City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks community center. Participating children, ages 7-16, come from over 20 neighboring public and private schools, and receive free music instruction, instruments and the opportunity to participate in a community youth orchestra. As part of the larger effort to provide sequential pathways of instrumental instruction and orchestra experience for more children, the LA Philharmonic is also convening on a regular basis over 30 stakeholder organizations including LAUSD’s Arts Education Branch, LA’s BEST, existing community youth orchestras, and many more to assure better coordination between in-school and after-school music programs.

For more information, go to LAPhil.com/education