Arizona Musicfest serves over 6,000 students every year with a variety of programs that enable children to hear great music, learn to play instruments and experience the joy of live concerts. None of these activities would be accomplished without the support of principals, teachers, parents and volunteers.

Musicfest Minutes Music Listening Program
The Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program: A Non-Directed Approach, provides an in-depth introduction to great music. Each week, children listen to one piece repeated daily. Before playing the music, teachers read a prepared script that contains information about the composer and the composition. The Program also enables teachers to link their students’ musical experiences with curricular areas.

Currently, more than 5,200 students in six school districts (Cave Creek, Creighton, Deer Valley, Paradise Valley, Phoenix District 1 and Scottsdale) participate in the Program. …read more

Learn more about The Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program …details

Musicfest Minutes Teacher Recognition Program
Arizona Musicfest has designed the Musicfest Minutes Teacher Recognition Program to put the spotlight on teachers who are using the Musicfest Minutes Program in expanded and creative ways. Through this Recognition Program the creativity demonstrated by teachers using the program in an expanded way can be shared with other teachers, generating additional ideas to put the materials of Musicfest Minutes into supplementary use. Application Handbooks are now available for download. (.pdf)

Please direct questions to the Arizona Musicfest office at 480.488.0806 or toll free at 866.488.0806.

Ambassador Awards – Teacher Recognition Program
The Arizona Musicfest Ambassador Awards honors teachers who have demonstrated the ability to take an innovative music education program provided by Arizona Musicfest and creatively develop and broaden its use.

One of our cornerstone programs is Musicfest Minutes. This is a 3 to 5 minute daily classical listening program that Arizona Musicfest provides FREE to interested schools in the metro Phoenix/Scottsdale area. This program touches the lives of 7,000 students each day in six school districts.

This year, Arizona Musicfest is recognizing teachers who have expanded the use of the program into other areas of curriculum. These teachers involve both students and parents in the use of the program.

The two GOLD Baton Ambassadors for 2010-2011 are Maria Carvalho and Sherri Rambo. Our SILVER Baton Ambassador is Shelly Richardson. All are teachers at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School in the Cave Creek Unified School District.

Check back here in March for more information about how these teachers creatively used the Musicfest Minutes program.

Live Concerts for Students

• On February 26, 2010, several hundred children who listen to the Musicfest Minutes Program in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Deer Valley, will have the unusual experience of hearing a live rehearsal by the Arizona Musicfest All-Star Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Robert Moody. The students will see how the musicians work hard to make the interpretation of the music just the way the Maestro wants the music to sound. The live concert is a perfect way to take music listening to the next level.
• A spring concert performed by the Phoenix Symphony Youth Orchestra Symphonette. More than 1,500 students attend this concert annually.

CDs for Libraries
Arizona Musicfest provides some school libraries of Cave Creek, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Deer Valley school districts with fine musical CDs that children can check out, take home and share with their families.

Musical Instruments for Band, Strings and General Music Instruction
Over a two year period, Arizona Musicfest acquired a variety of popularly requested instruments placed in an instrument bank. Each year, families in need of an instrument and unable to pay the monthly rental charges, can apply for a loan of an instrument. This school year there are 12 instruments on loan to students in the Cave Creek Unified School District. Trumpets, percussion pads, flutes and clarinets, a cornet and trombone, have all found their way into a young person’s hands who otherwise might not be able to play in the school band.

Instruments purchased by Arizona Musicfest that are not needed by CCUSD students can be loaned to other districts for their young musicians.

For more information, please call the Arizona Musicfest office at 480.488.0806 or toll free at 866.488.0806.

The annual Arizona Musicfest presentation of the Phoenix Youth Symphony Symphonette Orchestra concert, under the baton of Dr. Walter Temme, took place on April 21, 2010. Approximately 1400 students from the Cave Creek Unified Schools attended the concert which allowed 3rd-5th graders the opportunity to learn about instruments, hear 7th-12th grade musicians perform and see, first hand, the joy of playing as a team member. At every Symphonette, the children are treated to a few minutes of special organ music adeptly played by Brent Hylton, Music Director, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, who donates his time each year so students can be astounded by the magic of the spectacular and towering Richards, Fowkes organ.