Music Education

The Guild and Music Education

In Jacksonville, we are fortunate that both the City and Duval Country School Board support the arts. Even though the budget is tight, there is currently a music teacher in every school, although some are part-time positions. The Guild’s Mission Statement says, in part, that The Guild will further music education. Therefore, we supplement school music programs.

The Guild’s Education Committee has several programs available to schools and students. The Instrument Zoo, available in the schools to all fifth graders, provides the children an opportunity to learn about musical instruments by holding and playing them. It’s wonderful to see the expressions on children’s faces when they make sounds with an instrument for the first and, possibly, only time. In addition to schools, the Zoo is available at Family Concerts at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, where many adults join in the fun. The Guild is proud to have received an award from the American Orchestra League on behalf of the Instrument Zoo program.

Many talented teachers want to put on special programs or purchase equipment not allowed by their budgets. With this in mind, The Guild created Harmony and Melody grants. All teachers, not just music teachers, in Northeast Florida are invited to apply for grants up to $500 which are awarded each year in December. From original musicals to drum and guitar groups, or start-up strings programs, we have seen some amazing results because of these grants. The money for such programs is raised with another award-winner “Music for Your Eyes” – also known as “Painted Violins”. The violins are painted by well-known area artists to be raffled off in the spring.

For many years The Guild has sponsored Performance Scholarships for members of the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra (JSYO). Winners are announced at the Major/Minor Concert held each spring when the JSYO performs with the entire Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Listening to these talented and hardworking children gives us hope for the future of music performance.

There is also the Eleanor H. King Tuition Scholarship established when one of our members, Eleanor H. King, saw a financial need for children who wish to play in various JSYO programs. The results of this scholarship will be seen for years to come. We applaud Eleanor King for her wisdom and foresight. Money to fund this scholarship is raised through donations. We, of course, will accept any amount – large or small.   Anyone wishing to contribute to these worthy causes please call The Guild Office at (904) 358-1479.

Harmony Grants

The Jacksonville Symphony Guild recognizes the value and importance of music education in our public schools. To that end, The Guild sponsors the “Harmony Grants” program, which provides funding to public school teachers in Northeast Florida to enhance their music education programs. Each year The Guild awards grants up to $500 to area K-2 educators. The grants can be used by the recipients of the awards for textbooks, sheet music, instruments, guest performers, field trips, etc. – all to enhance classroom music education. Teachers who have received Harmony Grants have been able to provide equipment and experiences for their students that otherwise would not have been available. The number of grants awarded each year is directly related to the success of annual “Painted Violin” fundraising efforts.  Each violin is painted by well-known area artists for the Guild to raffle off in the spring of each year.

Melody Grants

The Jacksonville Symphony Guild offers donors the unique opportunity to enhance music education in public schools by donating a Melody Grant.  These grants are awarded when The Guild see a special financial need for a school or educator to enhance their music program. The donor of the grant may title the grant in one of a number of ways. The grant can be designated in the name of a family or family trust, in recognition of a particular individual, in the name of a business, or in the name of a group. Both donor and recipient receive recognition in Encore Magazine, and will be informed which educator and school has been awarded his/her Melody Grant and the specifics of that grant. .   Anyone wishing to contribute to this worthy cause please call The Guild Office at (904) 358-1479.

Docent Program

The Jacksonville Symphony Guild’s Docent Program is an important outreach of The Guild’s Education Committee. In anticipation of attending a symphonic concert, upon request by a teacher, volunteer docents address the classroom to explain audience etiquette, play snippets of the music they will hear and show photographs of the instruments they will see and hear. Docents share how exciting symphonic music can be, and prepare audiences for the performance.

Neither membership in The Guild nor experience to be a docent volunteer is necessary. The Guild provides training. If interested, please contact The Guild at (904) 358-1479.

Instrument Zoo and  Family Concerts

The Instrument Zoo is a program in which The Guild takes musical instruments into the public school for the children to learn about and try to play. The instruments used for this program represent all four of the instrument families – String, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion. Each session includes a description of the instruments given by a Guild member and then an opportunity to try playing all of the instruments. These events are all manned by volunteers and usually take place on Thursday mornings. Please note, you do not need to know how to play an instrument to volunteer for this worthwhile project. If interested, please contact The Guild at (904) 358-1479.

The Instrument Zoo can also be found at the four Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts each year. As the name implies, Family Concerts provide an opportunity for family members of all ages to share together the joy of listening and participating in musical activities. For some events the audience may be predominately Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts who are earning merit badges for achievements in music. At other times there may be a seasonal theme, such as the “Symphonic Spooktacular” concert held in October, complete with Halloween costumes.

At all of the Family Concerts, the Instrument Zoo is available so that family members – particularly the younger ones – can experience the joy of producing the sounds of music on virtually all of the traditional symphony orchestra instruments  -  including the harp. Parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are all smiles at these concerts, as they share the joy of music with younger members of their family.

Zoo volunteers are of all ages and experience. Some Zoo volunteers are music majors at Jacksonville schools. Others have limited-to-no experience playing an instrument but are provided instruction on showing young people how to play the instruments. Because of the popularity of the Zoo, there is always a need for volunteers. If you are interested in becoming an Zoo volunteer, contact the Jacksonville Symphony Guild Office at (904) 358-1479.