Members of the LPO perform for your students in small ensembles and give your students a close-up look at musical instruments. To have an ensemble visit your school please contact Amanda Wuerstlin at
(504) 523-6530 ext. 115 or by email.

Ensembles offered

Violin and Harp Duo
String Trio
String Quartet
Brass Quintet
Woodwind Quintet

VIOLIN AND HARP DUO

Concertmaster Joseph Meyer and Principal Harpist Rachel Van Voorhees team up in a wonderful program introducing children of all ages to the world of music.  The group offers a K-4th grade program introducing children to the musical concepts of melody and harmony through a wide range of music from all periods and styles.  The group also offers a 5-12th grade program which adds to this concept with more sophisticated musical styles and discussion about how and why we learn the way we do.  It is a motivational program to inspire academic excellence.  Both programs involve hands on experiences with the instruments and audience participation throughout.  The duo is happy to gear the music presented to any curriculum being used in the classroom such as a certain period in history or a specific composer.

STRING TRIO

String Instrument family Show (Grades 1-5): (The science of string Sound) Who is in the string family, and how do string instruments work?  How many ways can string instruments produce a sound?  Discover the answers to these questions, as the string trio plays a wide variety of musical styles.

Music’s Nuts and Bolts (Grades 3-9): What makes music hang together?  The answer is threefold: melody, harmony, and rhythm.  LPO musicians investigate each of these ideas separately through audience participation and musical performance.  Then students discover how much more detail they observe in a musical performance when they listen for how these aspects of music work together.

Music and Nations (Grades 4-8): How music reflects the culture of their people.  The trio will discuss and play music from various European countries in a program that involves volunteers from the class.

Music and Dance(Grades 5-8): Music must be organized, especially when it involves dance!  Students will learn how form, patterns, and rhythm combine to create characteristic dance styles from around the world.  And also understand the partnership between music and dance.

Themes and Variations (Grades 8-12): Take a journey with the Trio, as they explore their own musical histories.  This program will highlight music from Baroque to 20th century.  We will perform some of history’s most fascinating composers – Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, Shostakovich!

STRING QUARTET

This program would involve a brief discussion of the instruments of the string quartet (2 violins, viola, and cello) as well as the different musical periods.  It will feature music from the baroque, classical, and romantic periods.

BRASS QUINTET

A First Look at the Brass: provides an up-close introduction to the brass family of instruments.  Students will see each of the instruments demonstrated individually and highlighted within the context of the entire group.  Also included will be a brief description of how sound is produced on a brass instrument.  Musical selections will be drawn from mostly popular melodies, such as music of a Mardi Gras parade, but may also include short renditions of classical pieces.  This program is intended for elementary students.

Brass Music Through Time: introduces students to the different musical periods and what brass music was like in each one.  A brief historical context will be given for each period to help explain why the music was composed the way it was.  For example, brass music of the Renaissance era was many times antiphonal (call and response) due to the fact that music was so often performed in massive cathedrals.  With different groups of players located around the church, striking spatial effects would be achieved.  Other periods to be discussed and demonstrated are Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th century.  Students will hear how, in each period, the styles and demands of the music change.  This program is intended for middle school or high school students.

WOODWIND QUINTET

Crescent City Winds (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon)

Meet the Woodwind Quintet: Train your ear to identify the individual instruments of the woodwind family in the orchestra through this entertaining and educational presentation.  Using Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf adapted for woodwind quintet, listeners will be introduced to each instrument. Students will learn how sound is created and hear performances demonstrating each instrument’s unique characteristics as well as performances from the quintet as a whole.  This program is 45-50 minutes in length and can be adapted to suit any grade level.

Around the World with Five Instruments: Take a trip throughout Europe and the United States through music!  Audiences will hear examples from a variety of countries including England, France, Spain, Germany, Russia, and the United States.  This presentation will be accompanied by a slide show including pictures and maps.  This program is an excellent way for students to connect social studies and geography with music, and is appropriate for fourth through eighth grade students.  Our set-up requires a projector, a screen, and five chairs.