HOURS OF
BY THE NUMBERS
More than a music lesson , OrchKids helps students to develop musical and social skills that are transferable to all areas of their lives including creativity , self-expression , and teamwork .
A unique testament the program ' s model and community mindset , this year marked a special milestone : 15 current and former OrchKids students were employed as full-time or part-time paid staff !
In total , 1,863 students ( Pre-K-12 ) engaged in no-cost , in-school and after-school programming during the academic year across seven dedicated sites , drawing from more than 53 Baltimore City schools and beyond . Of total enrollment , 229 students participated in after-school instrumental instruction , ensembles , and enrichment . In addition to an intentional restructuring to provide weekly private lessons with an OrchKids Teaching Artist to more students , nine OrchKids received regular coaching from seven BSO musicians . And thanks in part to a robust network of 15 partner organizations helping to offer pathways to personal enrichment , mental health , wellness , and fun , all of our students excelled .
Summer also remained a time to keep OrchKids supported , learning , and making beautiful music . In Baltimore , 128 students participated in our three-week summer session at Goucher College . At the same time , 43 attended external summer programs across the country including Interlochen , Ithaca College , YOLA , California Orchestra Academy , Ravinia , Encore / Coda , and Peabody .
We also celebrated an extraordinary gift — the seeding of OrchKids ’ first ever-giving fund — a dedicated endowment established by Founding Donors Robert E . Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker . The OrchKids Fund means that , in the years to come , OrchKids can reach more students , schools , and families thanks to sustaining support in the form of an annual draw . Already , Bob and Rheda ’ s lead has been matched three times over ! We start the 2023-24 academic year with more than $ 4M raised towards our $ 10M OrchKids endowment goal .
9,270
HOURS OF
INSTRUCTION
97 %
DAILY
AFTER-SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
57 STUDENTS RECEIVED PRIVATE LESSONS
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS
Of 32 performances in the year , none was as memorable as the 15-Year Celebration at the Meyerhoff , a concert packed with family members , school principals and teachers , partners , donors , and more . All ensembles took center stage , with 25 members of the OrchKids Brass Band rocking to the beat of their own composition , The Waves , featuring the vocal line , “ keep your head up , keep on shining .” More than 250 students closed the concert on the stage and from the boxes as Jonathon Heyward led an arrangement of Brian Prechtl ’ s “ One Day ,” leaving performers and audience members alike with goosebumps and tears in their eyes .
“ I truly believe that every child is born a genius , filled with endless possibility .”
MARIN ALSOP , ORCHKIDS FOUNDING DIRECTOR
12 | BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA