Cantare Con Vivo’s Music Education and Outreach Program

Lincoln Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Melrose Leadership Academy and Lafayette Elementary in West Oakland, Chinatown, Haddon Hill and East Oakland (2009)

The goal of this residency program was to provide inner-city Oakland public school students with quality music education and meaningful musical experiences, and to impart to K – 12 students an appreciation, knowledge and understanding of skills in music according to California VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) standards. Activities consisted of free weekly in-school music classes and after-school choral performing experiences. A new program component was a multi-cultural, bilingual musical initiative introducing elementary school students to the music and instruments of the Andes and Latin America. In collaboration with classroom teachers, a unit for 4th graders on the Music of California History and a Language Arts unit for 3rd graders were also developed. Depending on one of three Levels of Instruction, students learned to read and write music, performed for school and community events, expanded their choral repertoire in a variety of styles, learned music theory concepts, and studied the historical and cultural context of each piece.