Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass members hornist Blair Hamrick, trumpeters Peter Everson and Rodney Marsalis, trombonist Greg Freeman, and tuba player Manny Shuford (Photo: Kyle Dunleavy/Ravinia)

Ravinia Em-brass-es Expanded School Partnerships with Reach Teach Play

December 17, 2024 in Reach Teach Play, Music Education

All 600 students turned out December 9 for a presentation by the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass during just the second all-school assembly in the Neal Math and Science Academy’s still-new building in North Chicago. Band Director Nathan Massa couldn’t have been happier at every step.

That appearance, and another for the band and choir students at the nearby North Chicago Community High School, came a day after Marsalis’s group performed as part of the Ravinia’s Winter Weekend and took place under the auspices of the Highland Park organization’s Reach Teach Play education and community engagement program.

Announcing the Grand Opening of the Harrison Building

June 07, 2023 in Park News, RaviniaNews, Reach Teach Play, Music Education

The newly opened Harrison building supports the growth of Reach Teach Play, the festival’s music education programs, by providing greater administrative facilities

Chicago Teachers Tune In to the Benefits of Music Education Workshops

February 15, 2023 in Music Education, Reach Teach Play, RaviniaNews

“If we base everything we do in the classroom on building community, first and foremost, all of those other things fall into place. And then at that moment, learning happens when students feel like they belong, when they feel that their views are appreciated, when they feel that who they are is understood and respected, then they will open themselves up to learning,” Kelly said.

Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program Kicks Off

November 16, 2022 in Reach Teach Play, Music Education

Founded in 1995, the Jazz Mentor Program inspires, encourages, and trains 1,000 CPS high school students each school year. A central component of the program is the competitive selection of the Ravinia Jazz Scholars, a cohort of Chicago’s most talented student musicians. The Jazz Scholars receive intensive year-round training and mentors serve as role models and give scholars insight into the life of a professional musician. Scholars also receive a scholarship to attend the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camp in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ravinia’s Annual Development Institute Sparks Inspiration Ahead of the New School Year

August 09, 2022 in Music Education, RaviniaNews

Chicago Public Schools K–3rd grade classroom teachers and Ravinia Teaching Artists in the Music Discovery Program participated in interactive music workshops at Ravinia on August 2-3 and will reunite on September 10 at the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Chicago.

Reach Teach Play says farewell to Fifth House Ensemble

June 01, 2022 in Music Education, Reach Teach Play, The Artists, RaviniaNews

Last month, all fourth and fifth grade students from District 112 enjoyed Journey Live, an original, interactive live performance of the Grammy-nominated score to the video game “Journey” performed by the Fifth House Ensemble at Ravinia Festival.

Reach Teach Play Leader Joins El Sistema USA Board

January 19, 2022 in Reach Teach Play, Music Education, RaviniaNews

Ravinia proudly congratulates Isaac Sinnett, Senior Associate Director of the festival’s Reach Teach Play music education programs, on being elected as the newest board member of El Sistema USA! He has worked exceptionally with Reach Teach Play for more than a decade to serve over 75,000 Chicagoland community members each year through Ravinia’s education programs, ensuring music remains accessible to all.

’Tis the Season for Reach Teach Play Programs

December 15, 2021 in Music Education, RaviniaNews, Reach Teach Play

Reach Teach Play programs are still in full swing this off-season, and our students have been busy showcasing their hard work. Just last week, our Sistema Ravinia Orchestra presented a winter concert at Gregory Elementary School located in Homan Square. Trumpet and clarinet students gave an auditorium performance to their fellow classmates.

Ravinia’s music education program paves 12-year-old singer’s opera career path

November 17, 2021 in Music Education, Reach Teach Play, RaviniaNews

Daelyn Calloway, who is in the Ravinia Lawndale Family Music School choir program, has already been a part of a handful of opera productions at the young age of twelve. Her most recent singing appearance in The Magic Flute occurred this month at Chicago’s Lyric Opera. She has also performed in the Lyric’s production of The Queen of Spades, The Dead Man Walking, and in the spring, she will be performing in the Tosca production.

Reach Teach Play Looks Back at Successful Summer

October 27, 2021 in Reach Teach Play, Music Education, Park News

Not only did live music return to the park after a dark and quiet 2020 season, so did Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play (RTP) education program participants. Although RTP instructors and students were not able to perform or meet in person for over a year, this season brought with it numerous joyful reunions and inspiring moments.

Reach Teach Play Brings Flamenco to Elementary Classroom

October 27, 2021 in Music Education, Park News, Reach Teach Play

This month, Reach Teach Play’s Guest Artists in the Classroom brought the Clinard Dance Flamenco Quartet to Hitch Elementary School for two performances in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The performances brought zapateado–a Spanish word referring to the shoe strikes flamenco dancers make–to over 100 students along with mesmerizing sounds from traditional Spanish guitar, a cantaora or cante singer, and a violin.

Annual Women’s Board Gala Raises $750,000 For Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play Education Programs

July 27, 2021 in Park News

This year’s Ravinia Women’s Board fundraising gala raised a total of $750,000 to support and promote the festival’s Reach Teach Play education programs, which serve more than 75,000 community members each year.

Jonathan Rush Shares His Artistic Mission With Sistema Ravinia's Young Musicians

July 14, 2021 in Music Education, Reach Teach Play, Classical, Park News

Jonathan Rush is one of the world's most exciting young conductors and the students of Sistema Ravinia were instantly inspired and moved by his craft and dedication. They saw that being the best wasn’t far from their reach, which is exactly what Rush wanted to accomplish when meeting these students.

Ravinia's Chicago Festival: Celebrating and Thanking our Community

July 06, 2021 in Music Education, Park News

Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play students, families, and partners attended Chicago Festival on July 3, a special event featuring Chicago-area artists to thank the invited audience of essential, frontline, and healthcare workers; first responders; neighborhood partners; and families who participate in RTP programs for their efforts and dedication over the past year.

A Two-Way Mirror of History Through Music: Guest Artists in the Classroom

February 25, 2021 in Music Education, Reach Teach Play

As our country embraced the mantra “Yes, we can,” during the 2008–9 school year Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play education programs met the three-word mettle of the then newly adopted name by inaugurating Guest Artists in the Classroom, a program connecting Ravinia performers and local soloists and ensembles with students in their schools. Through live classical performances by renowned musicians, the program focuses on inspiring a love of music, introducing young students in Cook and Lake Counties to experiences they may never otherwise have had at their age.