November 13, 2024
In this edition of Backstage at the Egyptian, we’re thrilled to spotlight an inspiring conversation between our Marketing Intern, Tori Smith, and Courtney Hanna-McNamara of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra (KSO). The annual KSO Children’s Concert is a beloved tradition at the Egyptian Theatre, bringing together over a thousand enthusiastic students to experience the magic of live orchestral music. In the interview, Courtney shares the excitement of performing for young audiences, the orchestra’s mission to engage and educate the community, and the profound impact music can have on a child’s development. Discover how this special event not only nurtures a love for the arts but also inspires the next generation of musicians and arts supporters in DeKalb County.
TORI: Which aspects of this performance most excite you, and what do you hope the kids and their families take away from it?
COURTNEY: The energy in the Egyptian Theatre on KSO Children’s Concert mornings is so electric! It’s a thrill for our orchestra to perform for over a thousand eager students. Many of the musicians in the KSO are music educators, and all of us remember the beginning of our music journeys, so it’s really rewarding to share what we love to do with local students in this special concert each fall.
T: Can you tell us about the mission of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and why events like this are so important to your mission?
C: The mission of the KSO is “to engage, educate, and enrich the community through music.” The Children’s Concert is made possible through a grant from the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund of the DeKalb County Community Foundation, which shares our passion for music education and outreach. This annual event checks all three boxes of our mission. By engaging local youth in an educational concert that opens the door for future experiences in the performing arts, whether as audience members or as participants, we are enriching not only their lives but our whole DeKalb County community. The youth of today are our arts leaders of tomorrow!
T: How do music and performances like these benefit a child’s development, and how does the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra support that?
C: In an article published in American Scientist in 2020, Northwestern University professors Nina Kraus and Travis White-Schwoch write the following: “After evaluating the preponderance of the evidence, we are confident that music education should be part of every child’s curriculum. Music education manifestly supports child development in ways both easy and difficult to measure. Augmented sound processing in the brain makes young musicians better learners, which can generalize to benchmarks such as standardized tests and grades that society values in education.” They go on to argue that music education is directly tied to educational outcomes such as standardized testing, attrition, grade point average, college matriculation, and health outcomes, all of which are impacted by social engagement and interpersonal “soft skill” development such as friendship and self-confidence that results from regular involvement in a music ensemble. The KSO Children’s Concert is, for many students, their first exposure to a symphony orchestra, and they are at the age where they will soon have the opportunity to join an instrumental ensemble at school, so the concert is a catalyst for future involvement in the performing arts.
T: What is it like to collaborate with a young audience that is so involved and many of them have a strong musical passion?
C: One of our favorite parts of the concert is having the opportunity to walk the aisles as the students are being seated and to play for them up close! Their curiosity is a delight to witness, and so many of them want to share what they already know about our instruments or to tell us that a sibling or parent plays an instrument, too.
T: What do you hope children in the audience feel or think about as they watch this performance, especially those who might be dreaming of being on stage themselves one day?
C: Our concert theme this year is “Music From Around the World.” To quote our music director, Linc Smelser, “I strongly believe it is through music, the universal language, that compassion, understanding, and tolerance can be achieved in our society.” We look forward to seeing these students become champions of the arts as they build a bright future in DeKalb County and far beyond. And we’d love to see them join us on stage in the future to share the universal language of music with a new generation of students!
