Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra

Lesson Plans for the Classics

Enhancing the Tix4Music program, CCSO Music Works! is pleased to offer its popular program targeting Cape Cod middle and high shool students. Lesson Plans for the Classics are customized multi-media high school lesson plans, corresponding with one of the major pieces being performed at selected Classics concerts. These lessons link history or literature, music and a field trip to the symphony (with free tickets for the students and their chaperones through Tix4Music).

History of the Lesson Plans for the Classics Program
During the 2007/08 concert season, the CCSO offered a pilot Lesson Plan featuring the Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad,” which was performed by the CCSO last April. The Lesson Plan incorporated a 40-minute lesson designed for history classes, with the focus on the history and political climate in pre-WW II Russia and what it was like for an artist to write during that time. Abundant audio musical clips made during the CCSO’s 2001 performance of the work, plus a very moving DVD clip with actual WWII footage, were used to augment the class discussion. In addition, extra optional material suitable for advance music students was included with the Lesson Plan packet. The culmination of this class was a field trip to the symphony under the Tix4Music program, which provided complimentary tickets to the students and their teachers/parents/chaperones so they could experience Symphony No. 7 for themselves. 

Similar multi-media formats were used for the four Lesson Plans presented in the 2008-09 season and will be followed for this year’s Lesson Plans.   

Lesson Plans For the Classics 2009/10
Approximately four weeks prior to the applicable concert date (indicated below), George Scharr, CCSO Director of Education, will be available to come into your school to present the Lesson Plan. Tickets for the concerts will be available upon request through the Tix4Music program.