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North Carolina Symphony

Education Programs

Elementary School Programs

Education Concerts

What Makes Music, Music?

Our concert for grades 3-5 explores core musical concepts through a wide range of cultures and composers.

For the 2026/27 school year, new concerts and curriculum-aligned material for elementary students are supported by lead education sustainers including Truist, the Bastian Family Charitable Foundation, and the John William Pope Foundation.

We are grateful to our music education supporters for their dedication to the importance of the arts in the lives of young people.

Please visit the Education Concerts page for updates on our 2026/27 Education Concerts.

Statewide Teacher Workshop

Our free, in-depth professional development workshop is designed by music educators from across the state to complement our Education Concerts and equip you with ready-to-use classroom resources.

Online video recordings and all materials remain available throughout the school year.

Ensembles in the Schools

Through the Ensembles in the Schools program, the North Carolina Symphony creates intimate learning experiences for students with a wind quintet and a string quartet.

The ensembles, comprised of North Carolina Symphony musicians, give an interactive performance that reinforces the fundamentals of music and demonstrates the teamwork involved in music making.

NCS education staff and musicians work collaboratively with classroom teachers to create a program that is entertaining and supports North Carolina curriculum guidelines.

These programs are often supported by local foundations and are offered to schools and students unable to attend one of our education concerts during the year. For more information, contact education@ncsymphony.org.

Meet the Instruments

Through our Meet the Instruments! series, sponsored by MetLife Foundation and Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., students can get to know the many instruments that make up a symphony orchestra, introduced by North Carolina Symphony musicians.

Contact

For more information about any of these programs, please contact the Education department at education@ncsymphony.org.