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The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra NEWS OF NOTE
Dan Trahey, artistic director of OrchKids, speaks to an audience at the Sphinx conference in February.
{ In A dvocacy } OrchKids is a model for Social Change
The best way to create a diverse orchestra, according to Dan Trahey, is to make sure musical opportunities are available to all children at the earliest possible stage. This was the subject of a presentation that Trahey, OrchKids artistic director, made at SphinxConnect, a conference held in Chicago in February.
Organized by the Detroit-based Sphinx organization, a non-profit dedicated to promoting diversity in the arts, the gathering brought together hundreds of leaders in music and education. Trahey described how OrchKids, which he established under BSO Music Director Marin Alsop’ s leadership, nurtures young musicians from all backgrounds.
Elite musicians must start their training early in life, Trahey points out.“ We’ ve always left it up to schools or to parents who can pay.” But if public schools are no longer providing music lessons,“ and parents can’ t afford to,” he says, programs like OrchKids can fill the gap.
OrchKids isn’ t only about pre-professional training, Trahey told his audience. While some graduates of the nine-year-old program set their sights on elite music schools, the majority will find success in other areas.“ We’ re poised to help these kids get into college, community colleges and trade schools as well as conservatories,” says Trahey.“ Our goal is to create as many opportunities as possible.”
OrchKids and similar programs will eventually change the face of orchestras by adding breadth and depth to the pipeline, Trahey says.“ The more kids you have playing football at age 5, the better the NFL is going to be. The same goes for musicians.”
4 Overture | bsomusic. org