Linton Chamber Music
1241 Elm Street
Cincinnati, OPH 45202
Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions
Linton Chamber Music’s Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions early childhood program strives to improve the lives of children by inspiring them to enjoy and participate in music. These innovative concerts provide accessible, quality musical encounters for growing minds in neighborhood venues throughout the region. At these “mini” concerts, children are invited to sit on the floor, close to the music-making. The musicians and an early childhood music educator engage young audiences by fostering a “let’s play” atmosphere where kids actively listen and learn about music and the instruments. In addition to being an educational and enjoyable introduction to classical music, PB&J Sessions are family-friendly and encourage children to learn and grow through interactions with their parents and caregivers as well as other children.
Program Goals:
The Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions program was created based on the firm belief that a child’s life is improved by participating in music. The goal is to ignite a love for music and learning as well as spark an enthusiasm that inspires children to create and appreciate music throughout their lives. To accomplish this, programs are developed to engage young minds and imaginations in interactive ways that make learning through music fun and meaningful. As a family experience, parents and grandparents also become more involved in nurturing their child’s interest in music.
It is also the objective of PB&J to reach a broad and diverse audience by making the program affordable and accessible to young families throughout Greater Cincinnati. In the 2022-23 season, concerts will be presented in the neighborhoods of Avondale, Clifton, Kennedy Heights, College Hill, Westwood, Mt. Washington, Mt. Carmel, Madisonville, Kenwood/Madeira, Symmes Township, Mason, Lakeside Park, Union, and Burlington. Through these PB&J concerts, Linton hopes to engage approximately 2,800 audience members, including 1,500 children. The Musical Journeys partnership program with Cincinnati Preschool Promise will provide impactful, weekly early childhood music instruction to serve up to 100 preschoolers in predominantly black classrooms.
The success of the Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions program can be attributed to their lively, interactive nature and a format that is geared towards early childhood learning and development. In addition, PB&J programming objectives align with many of the National Association for Music Education’s and Ohio Department of Education's Standards for music education for pre-k, kindergarten, first, and second grades. Each concert program is designed to cover many musical concepts including the following:
• Explore a variety of musical instruments and sounds, including the human voice
• Sing and move to music of contrasting styles, composers, and cultures
• Experience music of various styles, composers, historical periods and cultural backgrounds
• Explore and create connections between sound and visual representation
• Exploring and demonstrating steady beat, rhythm, and meter
• Identifying and demonstrating same and different (e.g. musical opposites high/low, fast/slow, loud/soft, long/short)
Program Results:
As one of the only arts education programs in the region that focuses on early childhood learning, the Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions program continues to fill a void and have a positive impact on the lives of young children throughout Greater Cincinnati. During the 2022-23 season, 59 concerts took place in 27 different neighborhoods. As always, the programming was designed for children ages two to six and featured a variety of instruments and music concepts: Fall - A Musical Zoo, Winter – Hit It!; Spring - Madcap Music & Little Red Riding Hood; and Summer – Jazzy Jams. One of the objectives of the program is to strengthen connections to music and communities by providing families with ongoing access to PB&J programming. In half of the neighborhoods PB&J served, three different programs were presented in each community throughout the 22-23 season.
This past season, Linton Chamber Music made the bold decision to offer free admission to all PB&J concerts to further remove barriers to participation. In addition, more than 25% of the concerts were offered in neighborhoods where the below poverty rate and/or black population is greater than 35%. PB&J concert attendance for the 2022-23 season reached an all-time high of 3,915, including over 2,357 children, representing a 55% increase over pre-pandemic attendance levels.
The in-school PB&J education concerts continued in Avondale schools, serving approximately 200 students. PB&J also expanded its newer Musical Journeys program that provides weekly music education instruction to preschoolers with the support of the Cincinnati Preschool Promise and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Avondale Partnership & Investment programs. With data that demonstrates the valuable impact Musical Journeys has on its students, the program expanded in 2022-23 to now serve 180 preschoolers.
Website:
http://www.lintonmusic.org Amount: $30,000
Date: September 2022
