Press Release
May 17, 2010
Orchestra Nova's Second “Music Bee” Caps Another Successful Year of Music Education
Jerry Sanders Proclaims May 20 “Music Memory Day”

San Diego 's mayor, Jerry Sanders, has proclaimed Thursday, May 20, as “Music Memory Day” in honor of Orchestra Nova San Diego's second annual Hunter Family Music Memory competition which will be held on Thursday , May 20, from 10:30 a.m. - noon at Brown Chapel, Point Loma Nazarene University . The public is invited. The event and parking are free.

Reflecting one of his greatest passions in life – ensuring quality music education in our schools – the orchestra's artistic director Jung-Ho Pak kicked off the Hunter Family Music Memory Program , one of the most extensive music education programs ever provided by an arts organization in the San Diego area, in the fall of 2008.

During this school year, over 6,000 students in San Diego County have been learning about classical music through listening and related activities. This contest is the culmination of the year's program. Thirty-one teams of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders from schools in the San Diego , Del Mar and National City Unified school districts, The Cambridge School and the Harriet Tubman Charter Village School will participate.

Named for Frances Hunter and her family, long-time supporters of the orchestra's music education programs, this program is open to all San Diego County schools. The only cost to the schools is a minimal amount for the classroom materials (with financial assistance by the orchestra, if necessary). Regular classroom and music teachers/specialists are trained at no charge, and the event is totally supported by the orchestra and its generous sponsors: Frances Hunter and Hunter Industries, the Samuel I and John Henry Fox Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Music Memory is a national program that has become a phenomenon across the country. Designed to develop a lasting appreciation for fine music in young people, it is a dynamic, multifaceted initiative consisting of innovative classroom learning methods and this extraordinary annual competition event. The program focuses on grades three through six. Each grade level learns to identify 16 classical pieces through interactive and innovative teaching materials , resulting in each student learning 64 pieces of classical music by the end of the sixth grade.

During this competition, the orchestra will play portions of a piece and the teams will “name that tune.” The team who has named the most pieces correctly will be declared the winning team. The students will receive gold, silver and bronze award ribbons and their teachers will be given a special classroom certificate for participation. Orchestra Nova performs all musical selections live with the assistance of three opera singers and a small choir. In addition, the orchestra will perform a mini-concert for the students, performing two full selections from this year's Music Memory repertoire.

For more information, call 858-350-0290.

Point Loma Nazarene University, Brown Chapel
3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego, CA 92106