“If you’ve ever attended a Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performance, you’ve experienced firsthand how the talents of our orchestra’s musicians contribute to the quality of life in our community,” write Buffalo Philharmonic board member Peter J. Eliopoulos and Music Director JoAnn Falletta in Wednesday’s (11/23) Buffalo News (NY). “Less, however, is known about the impact our musicians, and their music, make on childhood growth and development.… Numerous studies have shown a link between music education and academic achievement, and even to the development of high-achieving professionals. Music stimulates our brains, getting our synapses firing to create and maintain neural pathways…. Children involved in music have been found to have improved spatial-temporal reasoning, reading fluency and other cognitive skills.… The BPO is, indeed, connecting with our youth by offering the Music for Youth Concert Series, which aims to reach 50,000 young people this year, and by having musicians work with local students.… Our BPO musicians find local students participating in their school band or choir are often the students who project more confidence, energy and a true open-mindedness…. It’s important to keep in mind the full scope of the contributions of a professional symphony and its musicians.”
Posted November 29, 2016
