North Carolina Symphony Announces New Pre-School Program, Courtesy of the PNC Foundation
Programs Established in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Southern Pines, New Bern, and Wilmington.
- Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (1888PressRelease) March 06, 2013 - The North Carolina Symphony, in partnership with PNC's Grow Up Great initiative, announces its first music education program designed specifically for pre-school students. The program, called "North Carolina Symphony Music Discovery," provides educational and artistic activities, with a focus on symphony, to pre-school students in the region. The organizations will celebrate the program's launch with a special event at Cameron Village Library in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday, March 7, at 1:30 p.m.
"Research has shown that the arts play a vital role in a child's education, helping them develop cognitive skills important to long-term learning," said Paula Fryland, PNC regional president, Eastern Carolinas. "Through PNC Grow Up Great, we seek to broaden the experiences of young children in ways that will last their lifetime, and this initiative with the NC Symphony aims to do just that for the children of North Carolina."
"The North Carolina Symphony is proud of our dual legacies of statewide service and music education to build the North Carolina of tomorrow," said Symphony President & CEO Sandi Macdonald. "And with this grant from PNC, the Symphony will broaden what is already the most extensive music education program of any U.S. orchestra."
In addition to the program in Raleigh, Symphony pre-school initiatives will be established in Fayetteville, Southern Pines, New Bern and Wilmington. For each site, the Symphony's education department will schedule an array of activities in collaboration with local libraries, museums and Headstart schools that will feature North Carolina Symphony musicians, instrument zoos, book readings and other special events.
In 2012, PNC awarded a $50,000 grant to the North Carolina Symphony to fund the program, as part of its Grow Up Great initiative, a $350 million, multi-year bilingual initiative that began in 2004 to improve early childhood education.
The launch at the Cameron Village Library on March 7 will be the first of six events to take place at all of the Wake County Regional Libraries during the 2013/14 season. This free event is available to all pre-school children and their parents or guardians, but space is limited. Please call (919) 856-6710 to register. This event will feature engaging and educational events for youngsters including:
• A live performance of "Peter and the Wolf" by the North Carolina Symphony Wind Quintet, narrated by children's performer Peter Duschenes.
• A presentation by Duschenes on "the music in everyday objects" which teaches children to look for music in the world around them!
• The North Carolina Symphony Instrument Zoo, a hands-on experience for kids wanting to try out real orchestra instruments
During the month of August, each of Wake County's six regional libraries will receive a "North Carolina Symphony Music Discovery!" event as a part of their special pre-school programming. North Carolina Symphony musicians will partner with Wake County librarians to develop presentations which are centered around the themes of storytelling, literacy and artistic expression. Through this strategic partnership, the North Carolina Symphony will use music as a vehicle to fulfill the mission of PNC Grow up Great by supporting literacy readiness.
Additional Raleigh events will occur at Marbles Kids Museum as a part of the North Carolina Symphony's "Music Makers" Days and at Title 1 Headstart schools.
About The PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. For more information, please visit www.pncgrowupgreat.com and www.youtube.com/PNC or follow ( @ ) PNCGrowUpGreat on Twitter dot
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932 and subsequently made an entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the North Carolina Symphony employs 65 professional musicians under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn and Resident Conductor William Henry Curry. Every year, this orchestra performs over 175 concerts in more than 50 North Carolina counties, with some 60 of those concerts offered in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area.
The Symphony boasts two spectacular home venues: Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh and Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C. The Symphony also travels 12,000 miles each year to present concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington; individual concerts in communities across the state; and one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra. For more information, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call toll free 877.627.6724.
Contact:
Joe Newberry
919.789.5484
jnewberry ( @ ) ncsymphony dot org
Find press releases and downloadable photos at ncsymphony.org/media/
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