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Richard Pace

Brian Percival

Torrie Allen with teacher Carol Fan

Torrie Allen & Nancy Caudill
  HIGH SCHOOL TEACHING PROGRAM

About the Oratorio Society of New York High School Teaching Program

The Oratorio Society of New York inaugurated a High School Teaching Program in the spring of its 2003/2004 season. The purpose of the program is to bring the next generation of listeners into the concert hall while providing them with enough musical education about the works being performed to make the experience meaningful and enjoyable.

Our Program this year

Three schools participated in the program this year, The Frank Sinatra School in Queens, the Clara Barton School in Brooklyn, and The Baruch College Campus High School in Manhattan. 

We spent over 11 hours in the classroom providing each student with between two and three hours of education and listening experience. The teaching was carried out by docents, who are members of the Oratorio Society, using professionally prepared training materials and musical examples. 

We distributed 431 free tickets to our two spring concerts for students, faculty and accompanying family members.

Feedback from Prior Program’s Follow-up Sessions

• The students found the concert experience exciting and enjoyable.
• They felt a sense of identification with the chorus, having met members in the classroom.
• They said that the program gave them a better understanding of the music to which they were listening and enhanced the experience.
• They would have liked to have heard even more of the music. 
• They felt that the historical perspective added to their understanding.

 Quotes from Students
  • "I thought the concert was wonderful. The music was overwhelming. I never really cared for classical music until I was actually there watching and listening. I loved it (it was my first concert)."
  • "I enjoyed the concert very much. The singing was great and Carnegie Hall is beautiful. I loved being there."
  • "(The teaching program)... helped a great deal because I knew what was going on, and it was more interesting."
  • "The concert was very good. The voices were amazing, and the acoustics in the hall made the sound even better. (The teaching program)... helped me understand the music because I knew its purpose and knew what it meant.."
  • "The concert was excellent. The performance was very moving. My mother cried. I really enjoyed the experience of watching a concert in such a huge hall.”
  • "I felt that all the background information was great. The clips also familiarized me with the music. It connected me with the music."
  • "...not only did it enhance my knowledge of music, but it also helped me understand the performance better."
  • "The concert helped me piece together the music after we dissected it in class, so I had a better understanding of the composition. (The teaching program)...made me understand what I was listening to and what it meant."
  • "...the music was extraordinarily heart moving, because the music is so strong, overwhelming.... ...without the teaching, I wouldn't have known what the true meaning of the music was."
  • "It was very powerful and full of emotion. Also, it didn't feel as long as it was. You could just get lost in the music."
  • "It was very interesting. Nothing like I've ever experienced. It was a new type of music from what I always listen to."
  • “I really enjoyed the concert. It was a new experience and it was a great one.”
  • “I feel that the teaching program helped me connect with and understand the music.”
  • “The concert was ‘spectacular’ it was a great concert. I loved the Stabat Mater. …I understood what I was listening to, and it was fun learning about classical music.”

Educators requesting additional information about participation in this program should contact the Oratorio Society at education@oratoriosocietyofny.org or by writing to:

High School Teaching Program
The Oratorio Society of New York
Carnegie Hall 
881 Seventh Avenue – Suite 1204
New York, NY 10019-3321