Symphony of Sound

In this intro session, students will begin learning how to recognize the sounds of the orchestra and discover why Johann Sebastian Bach is still one of its most fascinating composers. In this class, children will play listening games to guess which instruments they hear, explore the different families of the orchestra, and begin to notice how each instrument brings its own color and personality to the music. They’ll also learn more about Bach and how he built music out of patterns, layers, and interweaving melodies that can feel almost like a musical puzzle. Through guided listening, discussion, and hands-on musical exploration, students will begin to hear classical music not as something distant or formal, but as something playful, surprising, and full of life.

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*This class includes an optional 30-minute showing of the children's classic, Peter and the Wolf, after class. If interested, please pick up at 7:30pm instead of 7pm.

Students will immerse themselves in the bold and dramatic world of Ludwig van Beethoven, where music surges with energy, struggle, and triumph. For this course, students will explore how Beethoven pushed classical music in a more emotional and powerful direction, using sudden contrasts, unforgettable motifs, and explosive shifts in sound to tell a story without words. Students will hear how music can move from quiet tension to thunderous excitement, and they’ll begin to notice how composers use sound to express determination, conflict, and victory. Students will also learn more about Beethoven’s life and why his music still feels so intense, human, and inspiring today.

Enter the vivid and imaginative world of Antonio Vivaldi, where music can shimmer like sunlight, rush like wind, or burst like a summer storm. In this class, students will explore how composers can use sound to suggest scenes from the natural world, turning melody and rhythm into something almost visual. As they hear selections from The Four Seasons, they will begin identifying the musical choices that evoke birdsong, rainfall, thunder, and changing weather, while also learning how Vivaldi helped shape the idea of music as a way to depict real-life images and events. Through conversation, close observation, and creative response, students will discover how classical music can stir the imagination and make listeners feel as though they are stepping directly into the scene.

Step into the expressive and deeply personal world of Frédéric Chopin, where music becomes a way of carrying memory, culture, and longing. In this class, students will explore how Chopin wove the rhythms of Polish dances and the spirit of his homeland into piano music that feels both intimate and full of emotion. As they encounter his work, they will begin to notice how music can reflect a place not by describing it directly, but by capturing its mood, movement, and character. Through discussion, musical comparison, and imaginative reflection, students will consider how a composer’s roots can shape what they create—and whether a piece of music can come to stand for an entire country.

Enter the bright and graceful world of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: light, clear, and full of charm. In this class, students will explore why Mozart’s melodies are so memorable and why his music often sounds so balanced and easy to enjoy. As part of the activity sessions, they’ll compare different musical phrases, notice patterns of symmetry and surprise, and begin to hear how composers can make music feel both elegant and playful at the same time. In addition, they’ll learn more about Mozart as a child prodigy and discover how his music helped make classical music feel more welcoming, expressive, and alive.

This session traverses the world of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as we learn how music helps tell stories filled with beauty, drama, and emotion. In this class, students will explore how ballets like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker use melody, rhythm, and recurring musical themes to bring characters and scenes to life. Using Tchaikovsky's most famous works, they’ll learn to notice how certain sounds can signal a character’s entrance, build suspense, or express joy, wonder, or sadness without a single word being spoken. Along the way, students will discover how Tchaikovsky’s music turns dance into storytelling and invites listeners to follow the action with their ears as well as their imagination.

In the theatrical world of Giuseppe Verdi, music, storytelling, and powerful singing come together on a grand scale. Here, students will explore how opera combines voice and orchestra to create scenes filled with tension, emotion, and unforgettable drama. When they encounter Verdi’s music, they will start to notice how singers can express feeling through melody, how the orchestra heightens the action, and how music can make a story feel larger than life. Discussion, musical exploration, and dramatic interpretation will drive students to discover why opera has captivated audiences for centuries and to consider what happens when a story is sung instead of spoken.

Igor Stravinsky opened the door to a new kind of classical music—one that startled audiences, disrupted old habits, and challenged the idea that music had to be smooth or conventionally beautiful. In this class, students will explore how works like The Rite of Spring use jagged rhythms, dissonance, and abrupt shifts to create a sound world that feels tense, surprising, and completely original. They will examine how Stravinsky redefined what music could do, and consider why discomfort, shock, and unpredictability can sometimes be just as meaningful as sweetness or harmony. Along the way, students will reflect on what happens when an artist stops trying to please the audience and instead dares to invent something new.