The Philadelphia Orchestra is EITC approved!

Held in the Rendell Room at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Master Class series gives music students of all levels, parents, and educators the exceptional opportunity to attend a master class with world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra musicians and guest artists. Sessions are open to players of all ability levels and present helpful instruction on topics ranging from practice and performance skills to instrumental technique and artistic interpretation.

Students can observe first-hand the artistic collaboration between world-class musicians and conductors. They are also invited to expand this experience by attending a Pre-Rehearsal Conversation with one of the artists involved in the rehearsal. These half-hour conversations provide valuable insight and a personal connection to the music for our audiences. Program notes are online approximately one week before each rehearsal.

Each year The Philadelphia Orchestra selects one youth orchestra to sit side-by-side with our world-renowned musicians in a rehearsal of quality orchestral literature led by a skilled conductor. This thrilling opportunity connects developing musicians with their professional counterparts for one-on-one coaching in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Orchestra’s School Concerts support educators in our community with high-quality concert experiences, curriculum materials, professional development workshops, and docent volunteer visits. These concerts have been commended by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as a model program in alignment with the state’s Standards Aligned System.

Held on weekdays, Philadelphia Orchestra School Concerts are 45-minute programs and are held in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. School Concerts are open to school groups and home schools throughout the Delaware Valley. Through the support of generous sponsors and donors, the Orchestra is able to offer School Concert tickets at a reasonable cost of $8 per person. Last school year, the Orchestra held six School Concerts with an average of 1,500 students attending each concert, totaling more than 9,000 participating students.

The focus of the School Partnership Program (SPP) is to provide music education for our region’s disadvantaged students. The Orchestra offers the program in partnership with public and parochial schools in a region that serves neighborhoods with large numbers of disadvantaged residents. During the 2014-15 school year, The Philadelphia Orchestra’s SPP partnered with four inner-city schools in Philadelphia and one in Camden, NJ, bringing classical music to more than 778 students.

One day each week, the teaching artist and classroom teacher collaboratively conduct a 45-minute SPP lesson for students. Periodically, Orchestra musicians also participate in classroom instruction, and on an ongoing basis musicians from Astral Artists also join in classroom instruction and perform for SPP students. SPP lessons focus on creative musical expression, elements of music, and perceptive abilities.

Through SPP, students learn how to play a recorder, thereby learning to read notes and gain insights into music and composition. Each SPP student keeps a journal noting their SPP lessons, their reactions to the music, and their increasing ability to express themselves musically. As students increase their musical knowledge and insight, they begin composing their own music with guidance from the teaching artist and Orchestra musicians. Each year, the SPP finale is the performance of student compositions by the student or small group of students.