To see how our Live Music in the Schools courses align with TEKS click here
Live Music in the Schools is Here!
Texas Music Partners Live Music in the Schools is a program designed to bring professional musicians into your school to perform for students. Each year TMP will feature a style of music, artist, or theme. Texas Music Partners will come to your school and
- Teach a workshop on the season’s featured theme. Then
- That Friday, a live band will come in to perform a show based on that theme, while encouraging students to try band, orchestra or choir.
We also have a course for grades 8-12 which includes a performance and Q&A session in the same class. This is for students who are already in their school’s music program and may be thinking of seeking a career or side occupation in the music industry.
Musical Focus
The musical styles of focus are the styles that originated in the United States and/or were made popular by American society. These styles include but are not limited to jazz, blues, rock & roll and R&B. We also show students how these styles helped influence popular music so they can better relate to where the music, they currently listen to, came from.
Program Goals
- The goal of the Live Music in the Schools program is to introduce music history and music appreciation to students directly.
- Once students learn about a segment of American music, we show them how that segment fits into today’s popular music.
- Later that week professional musicians come to the school to reinforce what they’ve learned, in the workshop, by performing for them.
- After the performance, students are encouraged to learn to play an instrument, as well as support live music.
- This program is meant to help our local band, orchestra, and choir directors by getting more students involved in music.
- It is also meant for students to experience music as a creative outlet and use that creativity to help them think outside the box.
This Season’s Theme
This season’s theme (2023-24) is History of the Blues, Part II (from 1941 to present).
1. Standard Workshop and Performance
Recommended Audience: 3rd – 8th grade
Class Size: Workshop: About 50 students / Performance: All students, 3rd grade and up, in elementary and middle school.
- Offered: In-school only
- Duration (2 classes): 1 workshop and 1 performance (45 minutes each)
- The workshop should be done the week of the performance. TMP can teach up to 3, 45-minute workshops per school, if scheduled back-to-back in one day.
- Performances are usually done on a Friday morning or afternoon. One performance per school, per year.
- Prerequisites: None
2. Performance for After-School Programs
Recommended Audience: 3rd – 12th grade
Performance Only: All students enrolled in an after-school program (ACE, Prime Time, Boys & Girls Club, etc.)
- Offered: After-school only*
- Duration: 1 performance (45 minutes each)
- Please schedule all students to attend at the same time, prior to your pick-up schedule.
- One performance per school, per year.
- Prerequisites: None
*If an in-school performance is already scheduled at that school it takes precedence, as students will already be at that performance.
3. Performance with a Q&A Session
Recommended Audience: 8th – 12th grade
Class Size: All students in a school’s music program, 8th grade and up
- Offered: In-school only
- Duration: 1 performance with a Q&A session (45 minutes)
- This is for students who have thought about music as a career or side occupation and would like to hear professional musicians perform and ask them questions.
- Performances are usually done on Friday morning or afternoon (e.g. 9:30, or 1:30). One performance per school, per year.
- Prerequisites: None
School Performances in 2022-23
- Houston Elementary
- Perez Elementary
- Linder Elementary
- Ortega Elementary
- Doss Elementary
- Allison Elementary
- Wooten Elementary
– Elementary schools, schedule your performance here
– Middle/High schools, schedule your performance here
– For after-school programs, inquire here
– For questions or comments, click here
Past Seasons
History of the Blues, pt. I (1870-1940)
(School year, 2022-23)
This was TMP’s first full year with the Live Music in the Schools program. We expanded our program to include in-school classes and performances, as well as after-school performances.
We took a more detailed look at the styles that made up the blues. Then we visited the different styles of the blues, during that period, including early blues, rural blues, urban blues and boogie-woogie. We ended with a pop video that is based on the blues progression to show the influence of the blues in today’s music.
A Brief History of the Blues
(Spring semester, 2022)
We started the Live Music in the Schools program in the spring semester of 2022, playing for elementary after-school programs.
We went on a short trip through the history of the blues from its inception to the present.
