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STAMFORD, Conn. Inspired by three decades of love for children and her passion for music, Enid Lieberman embarked on a musical endeavor this July as the new education program manager at the Stamford Symphony.
Lieberman, an elementary school educator for 30 years who recently completed an arts management certificate program, said she is thrilled at the opportunity to provide excellent programs to enrich the next generation of music lovers.
The programs are geared toward elementary school and high school students. They rely on the collaborative teamwork of the symphony staff, whose mission it is to serve the community and build lifelong appreciation of classical music, she said.
My hope is to continue to touch the souls of children by providing outstanding music programs, Lieberman said.
The symphony, led by Music Director Eckart Preu, is the only fully professional orchestra in southern Connecticut. It provides educational music programs to 4,500 students in Stamford and surrounding communities each year, according to the symphonys website.
Through its Advance the Arts program, the symphony partners with Parent Teacher Organizations to provide vouchers for concert tickets with 100 percent of the proceeds going to those schools' arts education programs to offset budget reductions.
The education program consists of an annual curriculum-based concert for fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Stamford Public School System, Lieberman said. The program also includes Exploring the Orchestra, which welcomes students to join in interactive music at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center.
With a new three-year plan that builds understanding of nine musical concepts, this program will be more fun than ever for the children, Lieberman said.
MusiKids invites children ages 7 to 12 to attend a program to enhance their musical understanding before Sunday concerts at the Palace Theatre to help them understand the performance, she said.
Revisions to the MusiKids program book will allow more active involvement in the childrens musical experience, Lieberman said.
The Kids Contest winner at each concert will get a backstage visit with Preu, she said.
The symphony also has a Play it Again program, in which it accepts used instruments so that more children can experience the joy of learning to play.
The symphony tailors music programs for schools throughout Fairfield County and provides an Instrumental Scholarship Competition for high school seniors planning to major in music in college or at a conservatory, Lieberman added.
Most of all, my aim is to bring the appreciation, the joy and love of music to children and to make the poetry of music a part of their lives, she said. This is a perfect fit.
