Arts-in-Education Residencies
Overview
Through partnerships with Fischoff Competition alumni, Fischoff’s Arts-in-Education Residency programs bring exceptional free educational activities to more than 6,000 community children annually. Since 1995, Fischoff’s outreach programs have reached over 56,000 children and youth throughout Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan, placing a particular emphasis on underserved and at-risk communities.
Fischoff’s educational programs enrich the musical and cultural life of the community through personal interaction with musicians of the highest caliber. Artists perform for and interact with children, creating an open educational environment for those who may have limited experience in classical music. The programs are taken directly to audie
nces in familiar environments – in schools, libraries and community centers. For many, the programs are their first exposure to a live performance of classical music by professional musicians.
All of Fischoff’s educational programs are offered at no cost to participants.
S.A.M. I Am (Stories & Music), the flagship program of Fischoff’s Arts-in-Education residencies, reinforces the importance of reading through the power of music. S.A.M. I Am programs allow children, ages 5-10, to hear books transformed with flair and imagination by nationally-recognized musicians, all of whom are Fischoff Competition alumni. The program integrates music with literacy, storytelling and drama. Musicians often perform in costume, and instruments and melodies may represent characters, themes, and moods from the story. Programs are offered in school settings, and all classroom teachers receive a free copy of the book in advance of the program to incorporate the story into their curriculum. Over 26,000 children have been served by this program.
Peer Ambassadors for Chamber Music (PACMan) pairs the Fischoff Competition's younger ensembles with area schoolchildren, to offer a friendly introduction to chamber music.
Master classes and music workshops are presented by residency ensembles to middle- and high-school-aged students.
What's In Store: 2012 - 2013
AEOLUS QUARTET has been selected as the winner of the 2013 Fischoff Educator Award. The Aeolus Quartet won the 2011 Fischoff Competition’s Senior String Division Silver Medal. They were also grand prize winners of the 2011 Plowman Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and received the 2012 John Lad Prize awarded by the St. Lawrence String Quartet in recognition of their “high level of musicianship…the passion, the dedication, and the great generosity of spirit they have demonstrated…” As winner of the Fischoff Educator Award, the Aeolus Quartet will receive a coveted endorsement from Fischoff, a cash award, and a week of community outreach programs in the South Bend region during the fall of 2013 as part of Fischoff’s award-winning Arts-in-Education Residency.
In 2012 - 2013, Fischoff residencies featured both the Barkada Quartet, Grand Prize and Senior Wind Division Gold Medal Winner of the 2012 Fischoff Competition, and the Tesla Quartet, 2012 Senior String Division Gold Medal Winner. Programs included concerts, master classes, workshops and children's programs.
The Barkada Quartet began as a student chamber ensemble during the Fall of 2011 and is only the second saxophone quartet to win the Fischoff Grand Prize. Comprised of current and former students of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Barkada seeks to blend the colors and subtlety of traditional chamber ensembles with the flexibility and power of the saxophone. Members include Christopher Elchico (soprano saxophone), Martí Comas (alto saxophone), Steven Lawhon (tenor saxophone), and Justin Polyblank (baritone saxophone).
Through their interest in culturally grounded repertoire, curiosity in exploring the homogenous and heterogeneous blending of musical colors, and above all, continual strengthening of their friendship outside of rehearsal space, the quartet 
hopes to remind listeners of all ages that chamber playing began as a means for friends and family to share the beauty of music with one another.
The Barkada Quartet outreach programs will concentrate on children's programs featuring a musical re-enactment of the children's book, Elena's Serenade, as well as present workshops for teens.
The Tesla Quartet was formed at the Juilliard School in 2008 and quickly established itself as one of the most promising young ensembles in New York, winning Second Prize at the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition only a few months after its inception. In addition to winning the Gold Medal at the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the quartet also won the Third Prize in the 2012 London International String Quartet Competition. The London Evening Standard called their rendition of the Debussy Quartet "a subtly coloured performance that balanced confidently between intimacy and extraversion." From 2009 to 2012 the quartet (violinists Ross Snyder and Michelle Lie, violist Megan Mason, and cellist Kimberly Patterson) held a fellowship as the Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where they studied with the world-renowned Takács Quartet.
The Tesla Quartet performed master classes and music workshops for community youth and young adults.
A Recent Review: 2011 - 2012
In 2011 - 2012, Fischoff presented five Fischoff Competition alumni ensembles in the South Bend area. They performed concerts, master classes, workshops and children's programs for more than 6,000. Ensembles included:
 |
The Calidore String Quartet, 2011 Fischoff Grand Prize Winner and Gold Medalist, Senior String Division Wednesday, October 5 - Masterclass and Concert, Culver Academies, Culver, IN |
 |
City of Tomorrow, 2011 Fischoff Gold Medalist, Senior Wind Division Saturday, October 1 - Masterclass and Concert, Midwest Young Artists, Highwood, IL |
 |
Axiom Brass, 2011 Fischoff Educator Award Winner and 2010 Fischoff Bronze Medalist, Senior Wind Division Monday, October 31, BandLink workshop, Christ the King School, South Bend, IN |
 |
Arundo Donax, 2011 Fischoff Bronze Medalist, Senior Wind Division Saturday, January 28 - Peanut Butter & Jelly Jam Family Concert, St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN |
 |
The N-E-W Trio, 2008 Fischoff Grand Prize Winner and Gold Medalist, Senior String Division Monday, April 9, Penn High School Orchestra Workshop, Mishawaka, IN This event was made possible, in part, by the Boehnen Fund for Excellence in the Arts through The Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame. |
AXIOM BRASS was selected as the inaugural winner of the Fischoff Educator Award, which recognizes the educational outreach work of Fischoff Competition alumni who have demonstrated outstanding and imaginative programming for children and youth in the United States while maintaining professional careers in chamber music. Axiom Brass has performed extensively in community centers, schools, churches and university 
classrooms. Guest artists, Axiom Brass presented:
- Children's programs featuring the book Imogene's Last Stand as part of Fischoff's award-winning S.A.M. I Am (Stories & Music) program
- Masterclasses & workshops for area middle, high school and university bands and orchestras
- Sacred Brass, a concert in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame
- The world premier of Celestial Suite by James Stephenson (b.1969), a piece commissioned by Axiom Brass and Fischoff specifically for the Digital Visualization Theater (DVT), housed in the Jordan Hall of Science, University of Notre Dame. The DVT offers the ability to immerse viewers within and fly through high-resolution, high fidelity images projected on a 50-foot diameter dome. Celestial Suite reflects on the relationship between astronomy and sacred music.
- Celebrating the Americas, a concert and demonstration for area middle school students
- Music for All, an after-school program for community children
In addition, the Calidore String Quartet presented children's programs featuring the book Miss Nelson is Missing! as part of Fischoff's award-winning S.A.M. I Am (Stories & Music) program. S.A.M. I Am programs reinforce the importance of reading through the power of music, integrating music with literacy, storytelling and drama. Musicians often perform in costume, and instruments and melodies may represent characters, themes, and moods from the story.
Click here for more information.
Past Awards
Fischoff’s educational programs have received the following local, state and national recognition and awards:
- 2009 National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant
- 2009 National Endowment for the Arts American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant
- 2009 Indiana State Senate Resolution Sixty-Four: Honoring the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association for its innovative programs that introduce children to the beauty of chamber music.
- 2007 Indiana Governor’s Arts Award
- 2005 Indiana Achievement Award for Nonprofit Excellence
- 2004 Leighton Award for Non-Profit Excellence Special Recognition Award
Program History and Impact
Since 1995, the Fischoff Residency programs have worked with a wide variety of talented chamber ensembles presenting creative programs of the highest order to more than 56,000 community children and youth. Fischoff has received six grants from the National Endowment of the Arts in support of the residency program. We are proud to share the following information representing the Residency's history and impact:
| Year | Ensemble |
Children/Youth Served |
Total Attendees | S.A.M. I Am Book Reinactment |
| 1996 | Eaken Piano Trio | 400 | 900 | N/A |
| 1997 | Rackham | 675 | 2000 | Berlioz the Bear |
| 1998 | Cavani String Quartet | 500 | 500 | Goldilocks & the Three Bears |
| 1999 | Manhattan Brass | 520 | 520 | The Mitten |
| 2000 | Fry Street Quartet | 450 | 1400 | Extraordinary Egg |
| 2000 | Prism | 400 | 1900 | Annie & the Wild Animals |
| 2001 | Ninth Circle Sax Quartet | 300 | 500 | Miss Spider's New Car |
| 2001 | Imani Winds | 500 | 1500 | The Big Red Barn |
| 2002 | Quintet Attacca | 350 | 400 | Wind Says Goodnight |
| 2002 | Imani Winds | 500 | 1500 | I Wish Tonight |
| 2002 | Imani Winds | 500 | 1500 | Moon Rope |
| 2003 | Chiara String Quartet | 525 | 1500 | Mole Music |
| 2003 | Imani Winds | 550 | 1650 | Anasi the Spider |
| 2003 | Fry Street Quartet | 560 | 1600 | Night Cat |
| 2004 | Manhattan Brass | 475 | 1200 | Cuckoo |
| 2004 | Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues | 1625 | 2502 | The Jazz Fly |
| 2004 | Imani Winds | 804 | 1774 | When it Starts to Snow |
| 2005 | Marian Anderson String Quartet | 725 | 1437 | The Bat Boy & His Violin |
| 2005 | Imani Winds | 1368 | 2101 | Ruby Sings the Blues |
| 2005 | Triton Brass Quintet | 1205 | 1327 | Where There's A Bear, There's Trouble |
| 2006 | Fry Street Quartet | 542 | 880 | Shy Charles |
| 2007 | CINCO Brass Quintet | 1079 | 1956 | Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten |
| 2007 | Jupiter Quartet | 1519 | 1694 | The Bat Boy & His Violin |
| 2007 | CINCO Brass Quintet | 1833 | 2200 | Elena's Serenade |
| 2008 | Fry Street Quartet | 510 | 2908 | Max |
| 2008-09 | Euclid String Quartet | 2589 | 4127 | Sebastian's Roller Skates |
| 2009 | Quintet Attacca | 2542 | 3285 | Peter and the Wolf |
| 2009-10 | Euclid String Quartet | 2500 | 3078 | The Bee Tree |
| 2010 | Angeles Saxophone Quartet | 1266 | 3501 | Ruby Sings the Blues |
| 2011 | Calidore String Quartet | 1153 | 1589 | Miss Nelson is Missing! |
| 2011 | City of Tomorrow Woodwind Quintet | 712 | 1496 | N/A |
| 2011 | Axiom Brass | 1826 | 2007 | Imogene's Last Stand |
| 2012 | NEW Trio | 388 | 811 | N/A |
| TOTAL | 31391 | 57243 |
Education Circle
Fischoff Education Circle, a community of donors whose annual support of $1,000 or more is directed to Fischoff's educational outreach and early arts education intervention programs.
We extend our sincerest thanks to the 2013-14 members of the Fischoff Education Circle
- Cressy Foundation
- Diane & Nick Entrikin
- Sara Burkhart Miller
- Randy & Mary Ann Rompola
- Jeny & John Sejdinaj
- Anna & Doug Thompson
2013 - 2014 Sponsors
Fischoff's Arts-in-Education Residency programs would not be possible without the generous support of the following:
- 1st Source Bank
- Barbara Shields Byrum Fund
- Barnes & Thornburg, LLP
- Burkhart Advertising, Inc.
- Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County
- Don & Nancy Crawford Fund
- The Cressy Foundation
- Culver Academies
- DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame
- Elkhart County Community Foundation
- Elnora Hartman Stickley Scholarship Fund
- Eddy Street Executive Suites
- Diane & Nick Entrikin
- Estate of Loretta M. Ernst
- Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
- First State Bank
- Char and Burt Ford Fund
- Gibson Insurance Company
- Indiana Arts Commission
- Indiana Michigan Power
- The Inn at Saint Mary's *
- The Georgina Joshi Foundation, Inc.
- JP Morgan Chase & Co.
- Jurgonski and Fredlake, CPAs
- Pat & Bob Kill
- Lexus of Mishawaka
- Mossberg & Company *
- Mutual Bank
- Nanovic Institute for European Studies, University of Notre Dame
- Kathleen & Mark Neal
- Notre Dame Federal Credit Union
- Old National Bank
- PNC Bank
- Raclin School of the Arts, Indiana University South Bend
- Richard Harrison Bailey / The Agency *
- Randy & Mary Ann Rompola
- Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Inc.
- Sara Burkhart Miller
- Jeny & John Sejdinaj
- Sopko, Nussbaum, Inabnit & Kaczmarek
- South Bend/Mishawaka Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
- Dr. Lynn Stettbacher
- Teachers Credit Union Foundation
- Anna & Doug Thompson
- University of Notre Dame
*denotes in-kind support
.jpg)
