What is the Community Music School?
The Traverse Symphony Orchestra is developing a Community Music School to serve students of all ages in our five-county region. This school will build upon the current educational offerings of the TSO to include our Civic Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles, Online Classes, Family Concerts, Suzuki music classes, Masterworks in Miniature, Tots@TADL, TSO in the Schools, and add new Parent and Baby classes, continuing education for Seniors, Private Music Lessons, and add a Youth Orchestra.
This expansion of the TSO’s existing programming will be housed in a new facility at the Cherryland Center, leased from the Traverse City Curling Club. It will contain office space, teaching studios, rehearsal space, and a small rehearsal and recital venue. As a trusted local institution with a 70-year history of serving Northern Michigan, the TSO is qualified to lead a Community Music School. We have a long history of providing quality music education through our Civic Orchestra Programs, and an enormous pool of talented musicians, teachers, and artists to draw upon from within the professional ranks of the Symphony. Projected opening is early 2024.
Community Music School Program Offerings Overview
Ensembles
- Civic String Prelude Orchestra (beginners), existing program
- Civic String Sinfonia Orchestra (all ages, three years of experience), existing program
- Chamber Music Ensembles–(beginners and advanced), existing program
- Youth Orchestra (*new program)
- New Horizons Model Senior Band (*new program)
- Civic Intensive Institute (*new program)
Group Classes (partnering with NMC)
- Suzuki strings, piano, guitar (*piano and guitar, new program)
- Parent/Baby classes (*new program)
- Music History/Theory, existing program
- Music Appreciation classes – Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, existing program
Private Lessons (*new program)
• Strings, piano, guitar, brass, winds, voice
Community Outreach
- Masterworks in Miniature, expanded program
- Tots@TADL (partnership with KinderMusik), existing program
- Violin Day (*expand to every instrument)
- TSO in the Schools, expanded program
- Pop up concerts, existing program
- Students at the Symphony, existing program
- Sara Hardy Farmers Market, existing program
- Solo and Ensemble coaching (*new program)
3D Renderings of the new Community Music School at the Cherryland Center
