TSO leads the way with orchestral music resources for classrooms
The TSO work tirelessly to champion orchestral music accessibility. Through our Learning & Engagement programs and projects we find ways to bring music to the people, and the people to the music. Our department is led by the passionate Jenny Compton, and we’ve made it our mission to share some of the extraordinary work Jenny and her collaborators are doing in this area.
At the heart of every TSO education resource is an outstanding orchestral work. Since 2015, the TSO has championed the commissioning of new works by Australian composers to underpin our extensive collection of free, best-practice music resources for use by generalist and music specialist primary teachers. Several of the commissioned composers are alumni of TSO training programs.
The Ugly Sound is one of many education resources available online that the TSO has produced to support teachers in the classroom. The resource includes a recording of the The Ugly Sound, a narrated musical retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen literary fairy tale 'The Ugly Duckling'. Composed and written by Brisbane-based composer Gordon Hamilton and co-authored by Tali Kellam-Pearson, the work was commissioned by the TSO and recorded by the TSO along with narrator Bryony Geeves. The Ugly Sound will be featured in 2020 TSO School Concert and Family Classics performances of the program The Little Gecko in June.
TSO written resources are created by Tasmanian music teachers under the guidance of retired music educator and curriculum specialist Dianne O’Toole. Each PDF resource provides a suite of classroom activities that align with the Australian Curriculum. Eleven TSO education resources are now available for teachers nationwide via the accredited education website, Scootle.
We’re thrilled to announce we’ve started planning our 2020 education resource initiative, TUNE IN. TUNE IN will be an easy-to-use listening experience for classrooms, home schoolers and families. It will include videos of TSO musicians introducing their instruments, streamed TSO audio recordings of works by living Australian composers, as well as works representing an array of periods and styles. The videos and recordings will be accompanied by downloadable activity sheets and pages to be completed online.
Our resources introduce teachers and their students to the magic of orchestral music and help them to develop an understanding of how music works, so that they can create their own music. We also hope that our online classroom resources help to promote and support Australian composers well into the future.
Explore all of our free online classroom resources.
Image by Bradley Trevor Greive (BTG)
