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* School Assembly Programs *

The Lyric Duo has developed forty-five minute, interactive programs that teach school children about the great classical composers and the music they wrote. During the programs, the students help demonstrate staging, answer leading discussion questions and identify famous pieces of music.

The programs are designed for elementary or middle school students, and are accompanied by educational packets that allow educators to prepare the students for the programs and follow up afterwards with information that the children can absorb and keep with them for the years to come.

Reilley "winds up" Mrs. Olson at Lucy Franklin Elementary School

CLICK HERE for a printable version of this page

CLICK HERE to access the online study guide

"The Road to Success"

"The Road to Success" shares the personal qualities and the experiences of the great classical composers. It was their personal attributes that allowed them to write such extra-ordinary music. These individuals were ordinary people like you and me. They simply found something they loved to do and worked very hard to become the best, and never gave up – even when faced with great adversity; not even the loss of sight, hearing or members of their bodies kept them from their work. Now, many years after their passing, their music is still enjoyed throughout the world.

In this program, we share some of the music of Franz Schubert. When Schubert was young he heard of a great composer and wanted to meet him. This man became his hero, and was one of the greatest composers ever to live. (Fragments of Beethoven’s music prompt a response and this leads to discussion of the hero concept.) Even though Schubert was very poor and only lived to be 32 years old, he wrote over 1,000 pieces of music.

And of course we perform some of the music of Beethoven. We share a little of Beethoven’s rather tragic life, being beaten by his alcoholic father and, later in life, loosing the most precious thing a musician has – his hearing. Although he was often consumed by anger, he never hit anyone or hurt anyone, he just focused on what he loved to do.

Another example shared in this program is an Austrian pianist who was also a soldier in World War I (Paul Wittgenstein). During a battle he lost his right hand. So how could he play the piano?

"Stories in Song"

"Stories in Song" focuses on the ways music presents stories. Music is a very powerful part of how stories are presented in the theatre and on television. Music has the power to create any mood; it can create fear, joy, borrow, and even anger. It is so powerful, it can stand on its own without being subservient to a motion picture. Presented in this program are familiar as well as unfamiliar stories including Romeo and Juliet, and the Trout. This program is best for students who have had some exposure to classical music.

One of our favorite pieces in this program is an aria from the opera "The Tales of Hoffman." To properly demonstrate this piece in its context, we need someone to help us; this character is a wind-up doll that needs to be wound up from time to time. With the help of a volunteer, we demonstrate the performance staging of this aria.

Create a unique program

These programs can be combined and expanded to create one that is tailored to the needs of your students. Or a unique program can be created especially for your school. Mr. and Mrs. Olson have a vast repertoire of music and many years of teaching experience. They have created many unique programs, including one that addresses school violence.

Another example of the exciting and exceptional pieces they have to share is a work by Mozart. Mozart was a well-traveled composer who, while on a visit to France, heard youngsters singing a traditional French folk song while playing in the street – a song that has become known as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Mozart liked this song so much, he wrote a set of variations on it. We have the students identify the melody and perform selected variations.

Technical Requirements

There are few technical requirements for the program: a tuned acoustic piano with a piano bench and a microphone.

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