Pre-School and Elementary School KSO Programs

FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN: Stimulating Musical Imaginations
M&Ms: Music & Make-Believe and Musical Storybooks
Pre-Schoolers join our String Quartet in local libraries and community venues for stories, activities, and music.

Family Discovery Concerts
Ideal for children and their families, these Sunday afternoon concerts at Chenery Auditorium combine great orchestra music with theatrical elements. Young subscribers, ages 4-12, can join "Barry's Buddies," and everyone is invited to visit the Instrument Petting Zoo before the concert.

FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS: Exploring Live Music
Youth Concerts
These popular concerts attended annually by 13,000 students from 90 schools explore masterworks of music in thematic concerts, using highly regarded pre-concert materials.

Instrument Petting Zoo
Children handle and play the instruments of the orchestra through this nationally award winning hands-on traveling exhibit.

Music on the Move
KSO ensembles take to the road to bring music into over 75 schools throughout the five-county area.

Musical Connections
KSO musicians visit classrooms to offer students an "up-close" connection with musicians.

Building Creative Connections

KSO/Gilmore Partner Schools
Classroom, art, and music studies are linked with a sequence of 22 educational and musical events in seven area schools designed to build connections in learning.

Encouraging Creative Musical Skills
Young Composers in Concert
Budding young composers can submit original compositions for consideration. All entries receive comments and two are chosen to be orchestrated and premiered at our Youth Concerts.

Youth Soloists in Concert
Advanced-level student performers audition for the impressive opportunity to perform as soloists with the KSO during our Youth Concerts.

FOR ALL AGES: Sharing Unique Expertise
Partner Projects
Each year the KSO partners with other area educational and community groups, such as Education for the Arts, L. Lee Stryker Center, Kalamazoo Gazette, and/or schools, to undertake special projects. Project vary from year to year, and can include elementary to adult audiences.

The KSO serves over 50,000 young people every year with educational programs that are at reduced costs or free of charge. We are grateful to the following for support:

Major Support
Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund
Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation
Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs
National Endowment for the Arts
Pfizer Corporation
Ronda Stryker and William Johnston
Upjohn Mason Grandchildren's Chair in Music Education

Additional Support
Arts Fund of Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Arts Outreach Fund, through the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo
AVB Construction and American Village Builders, Inc.
Bank One, a JPMorgan Chase Company
Chemical Bank
Denso
Heart Center for Excellence
Howard and Howard Community Reinvestment Fund
John E. Fetzer Institute Fund of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra League
Ladies Library Association
Mignon Sherwood Delano Foundation
Monroe-Brown Foundation
Ronda Stryker and William Johnston
String Scholarship in Memory of Dorothy M. Farrell
Target
Target Distribution Center
Tower Pinkster Titus
Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett