Orkest kids
www.orkestkidsite.nl
Stichting Educatieve Orkestprojecten (SEOP) (“Foundation for
Educative Orchestra projects”) organizes pioneering musical projects since 2002:
‘new style’ school concerts, children’s choir projects, and family concerts. The
digital educative support is a central part in all these projects. Up till now
the projects were exclusively meant for primary school pupils. With the help of
Digitale Pioniers Maria Lewanski, musician and mainstay of SEOP, wanted to
develop a second entrance to the site that is completely directed towards
secondary school students. The SEOP closely cooperates with the Randstedelijk
Begeleidingsorkest (RBO) (“Conurban Supportive Orchestra”). For many choirs in
Zuid-Holland the RBO is the regular supportive orchestra, and therefore it
visits many small villages and towns where professional orchestras seldom
appear. Since a few years the RBO is actively searching for innovative ways to
reach more youths. With the primary school children it already enjoyed
enthusiastic experiences. The website is put into action as a preparation for a
class visit to an RBO performance. The content is developed in such a way that
it links up with the desires of CKV students and teachers.
Final products
On
www.orkestkidsite.nl a second entrance came into being, named CKV Classics Jukebox. Here secondary
school students can find content about 21 choral works. In an accessible style
they are told about what the choral work is about (students can click on musical
samples), who the composer is and how he lived. Via historical news reports a
portrait of the corresponding age is being sketched. In the ‘instrument
storehouse’ all instruments can be listened to, and at ‘meet the musicians’
every musician of the orchestra introduces himself and can be asked questions by
e-mail. Via ‘cities and countries’ (with a webcam and pictures of the most
important buildings from the composer’s age) the student gets an even broader
picture. Musical adviser Susan Overmeer developed class assignments about every
choral work. The teacher’s burden in working out these assignments has been kept
to a minimum. By way of relaxation the site also offers puzzles and the
possibility to compose music by oneself, via an external link to an American
site that, especially for Lewanski, created a Dutch area. The musical stories
are written by Geertje Hoekstra, musician and involved in the children’s
programme of the Rotterdams Philharmonisch. Historian Pim van der Meiden wrote
the historical ‘news reports’. The site has been built and designed by
Yuna.
Impact
In a paper version the content has already been used on
several schools as a preparation for their visit to the orchestra. The response
was very enthusiastic. The material of CKV Jukebox is regularly being used as a
stepping-stone for yet other new ideas. One school for instance wrote and
performed a complete Mozart musical. Lewanski collects all these ideas and
discloses them via the Jukebox to inspire other schools. In the new school
season the new site is really going to be used. The Orkestkidsite is already a
well-known site and the CKV part of it is further being promoted through the RBO
school program.
Contact
Stichting Educatieve Orkestprojecten
Maria Lewanski
www.orkestkidsite.nl
