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Students in grades 3 – 5 are invited to join characters Beat and Groove on an interactive journey exploring answers to the question: How does music move us?
Teachers can mix and match in-person and online experiences that support their classroom goals and prepare students for a culminating concert where they sing and play along with the orchestra.
All program participants receive access to:
San Diego Symphony school programs are free to all participants. Transportation is not included.
The Beat and Groove unit guides students on an interactive journey to learn the fundamentals of music, build a joy of listening, and develop the skills to perform together.
Goal 1: Foster music appreciation: building skills to listen (exposure)
Students will be able to listen with curiosity.
Goal 2: Develop music literacy: connecting language to sound (practice)
Students will be able to comprehend music with specific terminology to enrich individual musical tastes.
Goal 3: Create community: working together to perform as an ensemble (performance)
Students will learn to make music together to confidently perform alongside the orchestra at the culminating concert.
Create a program that works best for your classroom! We know that every teacher and school has unique goals and needs. Mix and match the components below to design the school program that supports your students' learning the best.
Learn more about the curriculum, meet our team, access resources, and get all your questions answered in this Professional Development Workshop. The workshop will include concert music review and creative lesson extensions. Free parking and light refreshments are provided.
Professional Development Workshops will be hosted by San Diego Symphony staff at Jacobs Music Center or The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Educators can also request virtual access to a workshop.
If you would like to host a Professional Development Workshop at your school or for your district, you can let us know on your registration form or by contacting us at education@sandiegosymphony.org. Please note that a minimum of 5 educators is required to reserve a private Professional Development Workshop.
Designed for general classroom teachers and music teachers to implement, this standards-based curriculum introduces students to music fundamentals and prepares them to sing and play along in the culminating concert with the orchestra. Each week, the characters Beat and Groove guide the students in their learning through fun activities, challenges and reflections. Video resources featuring San Diego Symphony musicians introduce each family of instruments and are built into each lesson. After attending the concert, students review their experience and deepen their connections with each other and the orchestra.
A small ensemble of San Diego Symphony musicians will visit your school for a 25-to-30-minute performance and Q&A session. Students will learn about the individual instruments and the instrument family, alongside an introduction to the fundamentals of music including rhythm, groove, pitch, melody and more!
Note: Chamber ensemble visits will be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time based on school and San Diego Symphony musician availability. Register early, limited availability. Please note that priority is given to campus visits within San Diego County, and that San Diego Symphony musicians may not be able to travel to all parts of the county based on availability and campus distance.
Bring your students to The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park or tune in online for a 45-minute interactive school concert. Students will sing and play along with the orchestra, and listen to contrasting works by some of the greatest composers of symphonic music.
In-person school concerts will be held on the following dates and times at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park:
Register early to secure your classroom’s spot in one of the live, in-person concerts. Requests for concert seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. One chaperone is required for every 10 students.
San Diego Symphony school programs are free for all participants. Transportation is not included. Up to 20 percent of your school’s allocated Arts and Music in Schools (AMS – Proposition 28) funds may be used for bus transportation to arts educational partnership programs, which includes this San Diego Symphony elementary school program.
Register early to ensure your students have access to all Melody and Harmony experiences. Some elements of the program have limited capacity, and will be accessible on a first-come, first-served basis.
KPBS Coverage: The San Diego Symphony uses Sound and Silence to teach elementary school students about music
KPBS Coverage: Elementary students play with San Diego Symphony for grand performance at Rady Shell
Thank you to the San Diego Symphony for putting this program together. It’s very well thought out and very easy to use. Students get to use a Readers Theater style lesson and learn with stories featuring animated characters and videos featuring San Diego Symphony musicians introducing themselves and their instruments. There are worksheets for students to refer to, and even Professional Development Workshops for educators.
-Pacific Beach Elementary School third grade teacher
Thank you for the concert, it was so much fun! I liked singing along with the symphony because it made me feel like I was part of the music. I also liked learning about all of the different instruments and the unique sounds they make. Thank you so much for giving us the experience of a lifetime!
-Student from Pacific Beach Elementary School
The chamber ensemble performance made everyone's day; all the staff that had the opportunity to watch were raving about it and many of the students let me know throughout the day that they were absolutely amazed. I know many of them left feeling inspired! We all feel so fortunate to have had the experience and we are now even more excited for our symphony visit!
-Maria Montessori School teacher
Thank you so much for playing music for us today. It sounds amazing when you play together and even when you play solos. You taught me so much about music, especially about melody and harmony.
-Student from Solana Pacific Elementary School
Thank you for the opportunity to attend the concert. My favorite part was when you played Star Wars music because it sounded exactly the same as I heard in the movie. The concert made me feel excited and calm because some of the songs are really exciting and some are calm like “Greensleeves.” My favorite thing to learn was singing along with the orchestra because we practiced a lot, and they were really good songs.
-Student from Pacific Sky Elementary School
Thank you to the educators that spent countless hours developing this program alongside San Diego Symphony staff.
Bridget Brown
Dr. Jenny Gee
Erica Miller
Joey Sutera
Porschia Talbot
Michelle Warner
For more information or questions about San Diego Symphony’s elementary school program, please email education@sandiegosymphony.org.
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