by Sahara Lyon

When the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra became one of the few orchestras in the country to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, CEO Amanda Stringer knew exactly what she wanted to do with the money.

Musical instruments have long been compared to the sounds of wild animals. The deep cords of the double bass recall the sound a large elephant makes, and the delicate notes of a flute evoke the subtle flapping of a bird’s wings. The Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra took these animal analogies to the next level in their Symphonic Safari Adventure. This project, done in collaboration with TSO, WFSU, local music teachers, and other partners, consists of 22 videos that break the orchestra down into its individual instruments and ensembles before putting them back together in a final performance of Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Mary Kelsay, TSO’s Director of Marketing and Development, explained that the NEA called for applications from organizations that had innovative ideas of how to employ artists during the pandemic. From this grant proposal came the idea for the Symphonic Safari Adventure and the amazing online resource that resulted.

Suzanne Smith, Executive Producer for TV with WFSU, focuses on the creation of local content as well as works with other departments such as radio and digital. Smith explained that WFSU was approached by Amanda Stringer from TSO in order to assist with the filming, production, and editing of the project. Smith and her team at WFSU filmed the Symphonic Safari footage for around three to four days before going on to edit the footage, and the project was filmed at WFSU’s studios as well as the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. She is incredibly proud of the work that went into the project from everyone involved and is aware of how important a resource it is for the arts education community. Smith stated, “arts education goes beyond just learning about the visual or performing arts. You’re learning and thinking about things in new ways and you’re learning about all the work that goes into the arts.” In addition, Smith said that being able to work as a group after so many months of isolation was wonderful and creating something that people could learn from and enjoy in such a unique way was one of her favorite parts about the project.

Mary Register, music teacher at Gilchrist Elementary School, was one of the music teachers consulted for the project. She explained that herself and Kelsey Short, music teacher at Oakridge Elementary, worked with the actors, Laura Johnson and Bert Mitchell, to create questions that they thought would engage the children while teaching them about the instrument, the work that goes into being a musician, and the different parts of an orchestra. Register said, “there are a lot of instruments that kids are not exposed to on a regular basis” and the Symphonic Safari Adventure gives kids a personal look into those instruments. In addition, vocabulary is highlighted in the different videos at the bottom of the screen, further teaching children about music and the different words associated with a professional orchestra. Register and Short worked with the actors in the videos in order to further develop the Safari theme and make the characters suitable for a second to fourth grade audience. Johnson explained that the two characters, Violetta Vibrato and Roger Rhythm, were further developed by the actors to include unique qualities, quirks, and voices, and that the two “were instantly best friends.”

Both Smith and Register acknowledge that arts education is multi-faceted. Arts education is something that is multidisciplinary, and many important lessons and skills can be gleaned from the practice. The Symphonic Safari Adventure allows kids to experience music education in new and exciting ways, whilst also being an excellent resource for teachers, parents, and educators across the state. Soon, the videos will be up on PBS Learning Media, a free website that is accessible to educators and parents all over the country.

After asking everyone what their favorite videos are, some of the highlights include Allyson Royal on viola, George Speed on double bass, Leslie Bell on the French horn, and of course the final production of 1812 Overture; however, every video is a testament to the labor of love that went into the Symphonic Safari Adventure!

You can watch the Symphonic Safari Adventure videos here. Look out later this week for when this article will be posted to The Tallahassee Democrat.