Lecture-Performance in the Classroom

Mary Rose finds no greater joy than to perform for and interact with children in a musical setting, filling them with the joys of expressive music and dynamic story-telling.

“My lecture-performance experience in inner-city Chicago with the Ravinia Festival’s “Reach*Teach*Play” program intensified my calling of working with children, developed my natural intuition with children, and helped me articulate musical concepts in child-friendly language. Giving interactive presentations of pieces such as Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, I became aware of the great hunger in children for encouragement and appreciation in healthy pursuits, such as learning about classical music. Children don't want merely to learn, they want to make a connection with their teacher and share their teacher's enthusiasm for learning. We have to learn to communicate genuinely with them, in an uncomplicated manner, yet with dignity and respect for their minds and for the information we are imparting to them.

“Last June, I gave one such lecture-performance for Chandler Elementary in Goshen. The children were in rapt attention (See letters from students below), particularly one student with severe ADHD: more than three faculty members separately shared their astonishment with me at his quiet and attentive behavior for the 50-minute presentation. Classical music has the power to inspire and heal children: I have experienced this working with Ravinia, Chandler Elementary, Blair Thomas Productions, and my many piano students."

If society values the fine arts, it must learn how to share them with children, without overwhelming them with information or cheapening the arts. Mary Rose firmly believes in the beneficial power of the abstract depths of classical music, and it will give her great joy to continue that service far into the future. As Leo Tolstoy put: “Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.”

If you are interested in receiving more information about Mary Rose's interactive lecture performances, please use the contact form available on this website.