The Olympia Symphony is honored to provide direct educational support to teachers and students experiencing the challenging and isolating effects brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through direct partnerships with Olympia School District, Tumwater School District, North Thurston Public Schools, and Yelm Community Schools, we are delivering valuable artistic, creative, and collaborative experiences for our youth in Thurston County.

​

2021 Scholarship Program  //  We are proud to award two scholarship opportunities to high school seniors graduating in 2021: a current member of a high school band or orchestra program from a school in Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor, or Pacific County, and a current member of Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia. Click here for more information and to complete the application! Applications due April 30, 2021.

​

Community Composition Project  //  In partnership with Emerald City Music, we presented a unique ten-week, 12-session program for 46 fourth and fifth grade students in Tumwater School District. Students learned about orchestral instruments and compositional techniques while they collaboratively created a new piece based on Woody Guthrie's Pastures of Plenty, which was performed and recorded by Olympia Symphony musicians. The world-premiere performance was played on ECM's live stream December 20 and will be re-broadcast on December 22 at the OSO's Virtual Holiday Concert. View Variations on Pastures of Plenty here. Sponsored by Commencement Bank, PARC Foundation of Thurston County, and RL Ray Violin Shop.

Masterclass Instructional Videos  //  OSO members are creating a library of instructional videos for Washington Music Educators Association (Chinook Region), which includes middle and high school band and orchestra students in Aberdeen, Cosmopolis, Elma, Griffin, Grapeview, Hood Canal, Hoquiam, Mary M. Knight, McCleary, Montesano, North Beach, North River, North Thurston, Ocosta, Olympia, Pioneer, Quinault Lake, Shelton, Southside, Taholah, Tumwater, Wishkah Valley, and Yelm School Districts. Sponsored by RL Ray Violin Shop.

​

Classroom Support  //  Regional high school teachers may request an Olympia Symphony musician to attend their virtual or online classrooms for instructional support, musical demonstrations, or artistic presentations as a part of our ongoing effort to assist music educators and foster the development of young musicians.

​

Studio Recording Project  //  Olympia High School orchestra programs led their students through a studio recording project, which taught students the technical process of assembling individual music parts into a digitally mastered collaborative audio performance. The Olympia Symphony Orchestra provided the master tracks for each instrumental part, from which the students learned and recorded their own performances. Sponsored by Columbia Bank.
 

Virtual Duet Partners  //  The Olympia Symphony will record video performances for Washington Middle School band and orchestra students so students can play “virtual duets” with professional musicians.

​

The OSO aims to provide supplemental instruction and opportunities free of charge for marginalized students who experience barriers. Our four educational support programs serve students and families in elementary, middle, and high school in an effort to level the field of play and encourage the retention of music in the lives of all students.