Audience Matters

Audience Matters is the Sinfonietta’s core program, targeting 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. This four-stage initiative provides Chicago Public School students with a long-term learning experience, increasing the students’ depth of understanding and degree of retention. The key elements of this program are: school visits by orchestra members to present core educational information, performances by Sinfonietta ensembles, student assessment, and field trips to Sinfonietta performances at Orchestra Hall.

Through experiential exercises, students learn about the roles of the various sections of the orchestra; the history of classical music and how it relates to art of the same period; how volume and tempo effect the mood of the music; the process involved in composing, conducting, and performing; and other aspects of the musical process. Students are then able to apply the critical thinking and listening skills they’ve learned during performances by Sinfonietta ensembles at their school as well as at field trips to see the orchestra at Symphony Center. In addition, they take part in pre-concert lectures where they are able to interact with Sinfonietta guest artists.

This season-long program results in students who are not otherwise exposed to musical education developing an appreciation for and understanding of classical music.