To honor its longstanding commitment to music education and community service, the Houston Symphony offers a wide variety of musical events and activities for people of all ages. These fall into four general categories: curriculum-based programs for school children, multi-generational presentations for families, access opportunities for the general public and continuing education for music lovers. In addition to its concerts in major performance spaces such as Jones Hall, Miller Theatre and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the orchestra also performs in schools, churches, community centers and shelters for the homeless. Each year, these education and outreach programs bring the joy of music to more than 100,000 Houston-area residents:

• David Dewhurst Symphony Explorer Concerts:  Explorer concerts serve as the cornerstone of the Houston Symphony’s educational programming. Since 1945, more than one million children have attended these free weekday matinees, which have become a cherished Symphony tradition. This year’s concerts, which are specifically designed to enhance the elementary school social science curriculum, focus on immigration and the contributions of the many cultures that made America what it is today.
  
  
• Macy’s Symphony Detective Concerts:  As anyone who has ever recited their ABCs knows, music is a fundamental part of early learning. Symphony Detective Concerts introduce the instruments of the orchestra and the elements of music in performances that are geared to our youngest listeners. In this season’s concerts, entitled Beethoven’s Missing Notes, super-sleuths from pre-k through 3rd grade are asked to solve The Case of the Missing Music and The Great Composer Caper. Using their eyes and ears, the students must recover the missing loot so the orchestra can finish the concert.
  
  
• Docent Presentations:  Elementary schools in outlying areas of Houston benefit from our Docent Program, which is offered free of charge by Houston Symphony League volunteers. Using a newly created multi-media presentation, Symphony docents teach the children about musicians, the instruments they play, and how they play them. Students learn to tell the difference between a piccolo and a contra-bassoon and pick out the sounds of the trumpet, trombone and tuba. With a trunk full of instruments, the docents help 2nd and 3rd graders make their own orchestra and discover the magic of music.
  
  
• Sounds Like Fun! This popular summer concert series is the focal point of the Houston Symphony’s educational outreach programming and a model for orchestras nationwide. Sounds Like Fun! offers children an entertaining first encounter with classical music and lays the groundwork for future musical experiences. The series consists of 15 hour-long concerts, together with pre-concert activities such as the instrument petting zoo. The concerts are performed by the full orchestra at neighborhood venues throughout greater Houston.
  
  
• Weatherford Family Series: Another popular component of our regular season, these fun-filled concerts for children ages 4-12 are generously sponsored by Weatherford International. The four-concert series combines traditional symphonic repertoire with kid-friendly twists, and incorporates nationally known guest artists such as puppet and theater troupes, mimes and magicians. Pre- and post-concert activities in the Jones Hall lobby include an instrument petting zoo and other exciting hands-on activities. This specially-designed family series, enhanced by the Symphony’s in-hall video screens, will give children and their parents a better understanding of the concert experience.
  
  
• Community Connections: Designed to forge a stronger and more personal connection between Symphony musicians and the Houston community, this important outreach initiative provides the musicians with an opportunity to perform at no charge in a wide variety of venues outside of Jones Hall. At Community Connections concerts, demonstrations and “informances,” audiences can see firsthand how the artists interact with each other and the music they are playing. In any given week, musicians may be found throughout the Houston metropolitan area presenting formal recital programs for seniors, reading books and demonstrating their instruments to schoolchildren, holding master classes at area high schools, strolling the halls at Texas Children’s Hospital, or drawing a crowd at the Star of Hope Mission. The presentations are roughly an hour long and often include time for discussion so that audience members can learn more about the performers and share their love of music. Each year, Houston Symphony musicians visit some of the city’s most distant and disadvantaged neighborhoods, performing in schools, churches, hospitals, hospices, homeless shelters, AIDS centers, nursing homes, senior centers, women’s shelters, neighborhood centers and homes for the mentally and physically challenged.
  
  
• Music Matters: On the Air:  On the first Sunday of the month at 7:00 pm, the Houston Symphony broadcasts previews of upcoming education concerts and community events on KUHF 88.7 FM. Radio host Bob Stevenson, together with Roger Daily, the Symphony’s Director of Education, and occasional guests will explore the fascinating world of classical music. Teachers are encouraged to tape the broadcasts to share with their classes.
  
  
• Prelude: Prelude is an exciting way to connect with classical music and the Houston Symphony through pre-concert talks, demonstrations, performances and exhibitions. Intimately set at the cross-aisle inside Jones Hall, these free and informal 20-minute gatherings begin 50 minutes prior to each Classical Subscription performance and give the audience historical, sociological, artistic and educational background for each classical concert. Symphony musicians, guest artists, conductors, educators and cultural figures take turns leading the discussions.  
  
  
• Competitions: Catch tomorrow’s stars today! At competitions sponsored by the Houston Symphony, young musicians have an opportunity to compete at the highest levels before judges who are nationally recognized experts in their musical fields. These competitions are an important step in the development of young professional musicians. With support from the Houston Symphony League, the Symphony sponsors competitions for secondary school students and young adults ages 19-29.
  
  
• Deloitte Dynamics:  Dynamics is a social and volunteer group designed  exclusively for high school students in the Houston area. Dynamics gives teens a chance to learn about music, attend concerts and support their Symphony at the same time. Volunteers work with children in the instrument petting zoo, engage young audiences in Jones Hall with craft activities, work in the Symphony store, and assist with the annual Magical Musical Morning and Junior Patrons events, in addition to serving as unpaid interns in the Symphony’s archives and education departments. Participants have an opportunity to meet with musical luminaries such as Yo-Yo Ma and Music Director Hans Graf, and are eligible for discount tickets to specially-designated subscription concerts. Also included in the program are open rehearsals, pre-concert socials and master classes.