The Phoenix Symphony partners with Maricopa Community Colleges to share the joy of music

On the Paradise Valley Community College campus, the majority of music listened to is digitally streamed or downloaded. As part of the Phoenix Symphony’s education outreach program, the string section of the Symphony arrived during students lunch hour to play a live concert with real instruments, something that has become more of a rarity for younger generations as access to music online has increased.

The “Symphony Connections” is made possible through a partnership between The Phoenix Symphony and the Maricopa County Community College District (MCC). The Symphony performs three interactive concerts at different MCC locations throughout the year, providing music and education to students on their own campuses. The Symphony also provides ticket vouchers at each of the 10 MCC locations so students can attend a full Symphony concert in person.

“Hearing something live is always a very, very different experience, much more involving,” said Phoenix Symphony cellist Michael D’Avanzo. “I've noticed in the Valley that there's a lot more music being taught in the schools” said D’Avanzo. “Whether or not the kids choose to participate, they have been exposed to it and I think this is good for audience cultivation, but on a deeper level it’s getting this age group to actually care about classical music.”

This event wasn’t just about students experiencing something new, but also about furthering students’ knowledge of music.

Getting students interested in instruments and history was the job of Phoenix Symphony violist player and emcee for the morning, Mark Dix. Between selections, the energetic Dix would take center stage and explain how instruments create sound, how an ensemble stays together when a conductor isn’t present and provided information about each piece being played.

Gena Wade, Box Office Coordinator for Operations at the PVCC Center of Performing arts, said “I think it's important for students to learn as much about all of the arts as they can. People can go into an arts career, perform music or manage the business aspect of the arts. We have a great music business program here on campus besides just the performing arts program itself.”

Wade’s hope for students who attend these programs is to hear something they have never heard before, or learn something they didn’t know previously.

With the amount of interest in this event, she hope to continue to have programs like this come onto the campus and allow students to experience the arts through live performances. The Symphony performs for more than 125,000 students and children each year, helping to cultivate a love of music in new generations through a variety of education and engagement programs. 

Visit phoenixsymphony.org for more information.