School Partnership Program

Students from P.S. 165 work with Jon Deak to learn about composing.
Students from P.S. 165 work with Jon Deak to learn about composing.

The School Partnership Program stimulates students' creativity and understanding of music through the experience of symphonic music. In studying great musical works, attending live performances of the New York Philharmonic, and composing music of their own, students acquire focused listening skills, performance skills on recorder, musical literacy both symbolic and verbal, strategies for group work, knowledge of cultural history, and a personal relationship to the art of music. Working together with New York Philharmonic Teaching Artists, classroom teachers gain skills and interdisciplinary ideas that enable them to activate learning for all students and maintain music as an essential element of the classroom and the school community.

Program elements include:

  1. Ongoing professional development seminars for teachers (required of all participating teachers).
  2. Workshops for parents.
  3. Ongoing presence of a teaching artist from the New York Philharmonic in each participating school.
  4. Workshops for students co-taught by schools' teachers and Philharmonic teaching artists.
  5. Visits by individual musicians and ensembles to participating schools.
  6. Multiple visits by these schools' students, parents and teachers to the New York Philharmonic for rehearsals, concerts, School Day Concert Programs, Young People's Concerts® and Kidzone Live!
  7. Resource materials, both print and audio, for all participating teachers and students.
  8. Basic instruction on the recorder for all program participants (recorders provided by the School Partnership Program).
  9. Scholarship support for a small number of children to study an orchestral instrument at a community music school.

A substantial commitment is required of all teachers participating in the New York Philharmonic School Partnership Program. Teachers are expected to attend professional development seminars, plan and co-teach in-school work with the teaching artists, and work on evaluation, curriculum development, and ongoing portfolio assessment. The program is open to both classroom and music teachers.

Schools must provide release time for teachers' professional development seminars and program planning; they must also provide all logistical support and transportation.

For some schools, the program also includes the nationally-recognized Very Young Composers Program. Founded by New York Philharmonic Associate Principal Bass and composer Jon Deak, in an effort to develop the musical creativity of every student, the Very Young Composers Program provides students with the means to create musical compositions. The presence of professional Teaching Artists and musicians allows students to create, notate, and hear their very own music in public performance.

The program is presently full, but inquiries about future involvement may be made by calling (212) 875-5733 or e-mailing education@nyphil.org.

Major support for the School Partnership Program is provided by The Beatrice Snyder Foundation, Mr. Murray L. Nathan, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the Halee and David Baldwin Teaching Artist Fund, Citigroup Foundation, Deutsche Bank, Leo Rosner Foundation, Abbey K. Starr Charitable Foundation, Miriam T. and Howard N. Stern Foundation, Disney Worldwide Outreach, Samuel and Rae Eckman Charitable Foundation, Inc., Leon Lowenstein Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, New York Times Company Foundation, Estate of Rachael M. Salzano, Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, C&M Schnurmacher Foundation, Alan and Katherine Stroock Fund, ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Joukowsky Family Foundation, and other generous donors.

MetLife Foundation is the lead corporate underwriter for the New York Philharmonic’s Education Programs.