The Colorado Springs Philharmonic ‘teamed up’ with The US Olympic and Paralympic Museum to capture the attention of 4,000 elementary-aged students at The Pikes Peak Center. A new script was developed to showcase the shared values of professional musicians and athletes. Lessons around goal setting, the support of friendship, getting up after you fail, and learning to calm yourself before a challenge were charmingly shared by our co-emcee four-time Olympic Champion Kara Winger, along with our very own Maestro Thomas Wilson.
Teachers and students alike were giggling and playing along in their seats in movement exercises and even a whole auditorium relaxation technique that Kara Winger uses at every competition! Merit Academy from Woodland Park made the trek down south and music teacher Tiffany Basnett shared “What a great event! It was so well organized, my students had a fantastic time and my music teacher heart is so full!”
Philharmonic and CFA supporter Carol and Jim Montgomery were among several stakeholders who came to enjoy the show and the reactions of the children in the audience.
Carol wrote to us: “What a delight. I cried the whole time as I was reminded of all the glorious days of teaching and the field trips we took. The program was so well planned.”
Music Teacher Kristina Kafka from D20 shared “We thoroughly enjoyed our wonderful trip to the beautiful Pikes Peak Center and the incredible concert that was geared especially toward our students. Your speakers were wonderful, and the humor was a great part of the concert. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of it.”
We worked with more than 150 teachers in coordinating the event and each every one of those classroom teachers were given a packet of both pre- and post-show lessons built around Colorado Department of Education Social and Emotional Learning Standards that complimented the themes shared in our “Olympic Orchestra” program. D11 District Visual and Performing Arts Facilitator Kim Kincaid, who organized more than 3,000 students to come to the event reflected: “The Colorado Springs Philharmonic Kids Program is an incredible opportunity, offering students a chance to explore music in an engaging and educational way, fostering creativity, teamwork, and a lifelong love for the arts. Thank you for all your work to make this an amazing event for our 3300+ D11 students.”
