Archway Glendale Welcomes the Katzin Chamber Musicians

The Katzin Chamber Musicians were invited to Archway Glendale, where their string quartet treated kindergarten through fifth grade students to a special performance of classical music. The Katzin Chamber Musicians are comprised of faculty and professional performer ensembles associated with the Katzin Concert Hall at Arizona State University’s School of Music, Dance and Theatre in Tempe, Ariz.

Students at Great Hearts study the fine arts to experience and participate in Beauty. “We speak about forming hearts and minds and virtue and truth,” explained Assistant Headmaster Sara Swinford. “And part of that is exposing them to the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. This is an experience where they’re able to experience that Beauty in real life. For many of our students, this may be the first or only experience with live music at this level or this caliber.” 

This exposure to classical music, as well as other mediums of the fine arts, is crucial to a classical education. The fundamental goal is that the young students come away with an appreciation of human potential for excellence. “I was speaking with [the chamber musicians] and some of them have traveled the world, performed in symphonies, and are university professors, and to see their skill and discipline displayed on stage was truly inspirational.”

Opportunities in our academies like this one allow our scholars to step outside of themselves and appreciate the value of fine arts. Coupled with the study of great works, experiences like these help students recognize excellence and better understand the tradition from which new and creative works are generated.

“Part of a classical education is not just preparing students for the next grade level. We’re preparing them for life. And so, they receive music instruction starting in kindergarten. And we really look to our “specials” as core subjects,” said Swinford. “Specials” are classes taught by specialized instructors, typically away from their homeroom and cover subjects like art, music, and language. “They expose the students to the rich classics. Many are able to read music by the end of their elementary school time here.”

Great Hearts teaches students the elements of the fine arts to give them the tools to use for the rest of their life. We expose them to the masters to give them depth of artistic material to encounter for the rest of their life. We teach the students the fine arts to give them the ability and means to have a life-long encounter with and participation in Beauty.

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Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/.