integral component of each Toy Symphony performance is a series
of week-long workshops in which children are introduced to musical
thinking and composing, and are engaged in different levels of involvement
in the project. This series of workshops, while providing for general
education and enjoyment for the local community, is essentially
tied to the final performance: this is where elements of the Toy
Symphony concert are composed and rehearsed.
pedagogical philosophy at the core of
Toy Symphony, which is carried out through these workshops, builds
on the work of influential educators who believe that learning is
an active process by which people build or construct understanding
by interaction with objects and situations in their environment.
With Toy Symphony, there is an emphasis on a child's direct interaction
with musical material and the incorporation of his/her innate musical
perceptions as part of the learning process.
are designed to give children hands-on experience with Music
Toys and serve as an introduction to musical thinking and composing.
They are organized so children are engaged in different levels of
involvement in Toy Symphony, as follows: