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Students in grades 3 – 5 are invited to join characters Sound and Silence on an interactive journey exploring answers to the question: What is music?
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.
Participants can register for access to:
San Diego Symphony school programs are free to all participants. Transportation is not included.
Save the date! Registration for Sound and Silence opens on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Visit this page after that date to register for this 2026 – 2027 elementary school program.
The Sound and Silence unit guides students on an interactive journey to learn the fundamentals of music, build a joy of listening, and develop skills to perform together.
Goal 1: Foster music appreciation: building skills to listen
Students will be able to listen with curiosity.
Goal 2: Develop music literacy: connecting language to sound
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
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 best support your students' learning.
Learn more about the curriculum, meet our team, access resources, and get all your questions answered in a Professional Development Workshop. The workshop will include a review of the culminating concert music and creative lesson extensions. Free parking and light refreshments are provided.
You can attend in person at Jacobs Music Center in November, or virtually in December:
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. A minimum of 5 educators is required to reserve your own 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 with the orchestra at the culminating concert. Characters Sound and Silence guide students in their learning through interactive activities and reflections. Video resources featuring San Diego Symphony musicians introduce each family of instruments and are built into each lesson. After attending the culminating concert, students reflect on their experience and deepen their connection with each other and the orchestra.
A small ensemble of San Diego Symphony musicians visits your school for a 25-minute performance and Question & Answer session. Students will learn about individual instruments, the instrument family, and music fundamentals like melody, rhythm, dynamics, articulation and more!
Please note: Register early! This program component has very limited availability. Chamber ensemble visits will be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time based on availability of the school and San Diego Symphony musicians. Musicians may not be able to travel to all parts of the county based on availability and campus distance. This component is not available to schools outside of San Diego County.
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.
What is the concert program?
MOZART: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492
BRITTEN: Theme from Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34
J. STRAUSS: An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314
BRAHMS (ARR. PARLOW): Hungarian Dance No. 5
GABRIELA ORTIZ: Kauyumari
PRICE: "Juba" from Symphony No. 3 in C minor
PROKOFIEV: Suite from Lieutenant Kijé, Op. 60
BRITTEN: Fugue from Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34
In-person school concerts will be held on the following dates 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 ten 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.
Registration for Sound and Silence opens on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Visit this page after that date to register for this 2026 – 2027 elementary school program.
Register early to ensure your students have access to all program 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
For more information or questions about San Diego Symphony’s elementary school program, please email education@sandiegosymphony.org.
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