“The Detroit Symphony Orchestra took a tour of more than 400 schools Wednesday in its hometown and beyond, but the road trip was a virtual one,” writes Jeff Karoub in a Wednesday (11/12) report for the Associated Press. “Orchestra officials launched the first in a series of educational webcasts with two back-to-back performances that were viewed in 300 Detroit schools and 125 others nationwide—reaching about 40,000 students. The Classroom Edition is an extension of Live from Orchestra Hall, the free symphony webcast that launched in 2011.… The goal of the new grant-funded, three-year series is to bring the webcasts to students by holding them during the day and incorporating interactive lesson plans for teachers…. The premiere of ‘An American Adventure’ was hosted by actor and Detroit native Damon Gupton and featured the debut of assistant conductor Michelle Merrill…. Paul Hogle, the ensemble’s executive vice president, said … the orchestra [will] produce two webcasts in each of the three seasons. The program is developed with the people who worked on the PBS series Sesame Street and 3-2-1 Contact.… Kristana Spearman, a 10th-grader at University Yes [a participating school], said … the performance gave her new perspective and interest in the form. ”
Posted November 14, 2014
