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 49,000 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: 2011 - 2012
In 2011 - 2012, Fischoff will present one of the most robust Arts-in-Education Residencies in its history. Not only will both the Senior Division gold medalists return for a Winners' Tour of the Midwestern United States, but three more Fischoff Competition alumni ensembles will return to the South Bend area for concerts, master classes, workshops and children's programs. Ensembles include:
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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 See below for further details |
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City of Tomorrow, 2011 Fischoff Gold Medalist, Senior Wind Division Saturday, October 1 - Masterclass and Concert, Midwest Young Artists, Highwood, IL |
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Axiom Brass, 2011 Fischoff Educator Award Winner and 2010 Fischoff Bronze Medalist, Senior Wind Division See below for details |
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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 |
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The N-E-W Trio, 2008 Fischoff Grand Prize Winner and Gold Medalist, Senior String Division The N-E-W Trio will return to the area April 8 -12, and present concerts and masterclasses at the University of Notre Dame and Culver Academies This event is 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 recently 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 will present:
- 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 will present 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.
Further details to be announced! In the meantime, click here for more information.
A Recent Review: 2010 - 2011
In 2010-2011 the Fischoff Residency took a different and exciting turn. Both Gold Medal winners from the Senior Division of the 2010 Fischoff Competition, the Old City String Quartet and the Angeles Saxophone Quartet, returned for a new Double Gold Tour. This is an enlargement of the annual Grand Prize Winner's Midwest Tour and includes concerts, masterclasses, workshops and children’s programs for both the top Fischoff winners.
The Old City String Quartet outreach concentrated on high school string programs in the area, while the Angeles Saxophone Quartet presented music workshops and featured Niki Daly’s book, Ruby Sings the Blues, for Fischoff’s S.A.M. I Am programs to several elementary schools in our community.
Tour stops included:
Tuesday, October 12
Culver Academies, Culver, IN - Masterclass and Concert (Old City)
Wednesday, October 13
Elkhart Central High School, Elkhart, IN - Orchestra Masterclasses (Old City)
Thursday, October 14
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center - Visiting Artist Series Concert (Old City)
Friday, October 15
Music in the Loft, Chicago, IL - Concert (Old City)
Jewel Box Series/WFMT, Chicago, IL - Concert, Interview and Radio Broadcast (Angeles)
Saturday, October 16
Midwest Young Artists, Highwood, IL - Masterclass and Concert (Old City)
Sunday, October 17
Acorn Theatre, Three Oaks, MI - Concert (Angeles)
Monday, October 18
Ball State University, Arts Alive Concert Series, Muncie, IN (Angeles)
Community Outreach (Old City)
Live From WFMT Series, Chicago, IL - Live Radio Performance and Conversation (Old City)
Tuesday, October 19
Penn High School, Mishawaka, IN - Performance and Discussion with Orchestra Students (Old City)
Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI, Howard Performing Arts Series - Concert (Old City)
Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN, Fine Arts Series - Concert (Angeles)
Wednesday, October 20
Culver Academies, Culver, IN - Outreach (Angeles)
Thursday, October 21
Community Outreach (Angeles)
Friday, October 22
Community Outreach (Angeles)
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 its inception, the Fischoff Residency programs have worked with a wide variety of talented chamber ensembles presenting creative programs of the highest caliber. We are proud to share the following information representing the Residency's history and impact:
| Year | Ensemble | Book Title | Author |
Number of Children Served |
Total Attendees |
| 1996 | Eaken Piano Trio | N/A | N/A | 400 | 900 |
| 1997 | Rackham | Berlioz the Bear | Jan Brett | 675 | 2000 |
| 1998 | Cavani String Quartet | Goldilocks & the Three Bears | Jan Brett | 500 | 500 |
| 1999 | Manhattan Brass | The Mitten | Jan Brett | 520 | 520 |
| 2000 | Fry Street Quartet | Extraordinary Egg | Leo Lionni | 450 | 1400 |
| 2000 | Prism | Annie & the Wild Animals | Jan Brett | 400 | 1900 |
| 2001 | Ninth Circle Sax Quartet | Miss Spider's New Car | David Kirk | 300 | 500 |
| 2001 | Imani Winds | The Big Red Barn | Margaret Wise Brown | 500 | 1500 |
| 2002 | Quintet Attacca | Wind Says Goodnight | Kay Rydell | 350 | 400 |
| 2002 | Imani Winds | I Wish Tonight | Louis Rock | 500 | 1500 |
| 2002 | Imani Winds | Moon Rope | Lois Ehlert | 500 | 1500 |
| 2003 | Chiara String Quartet | Mole Music | David McPhail | 525 | 1500 |
| 2003 | Imani Winds | Anasi the Spider | Gerald McDermott | 550 | 1650 |
| 2003 | Fry Street Quartet | Night Cat | Margaret Beames | 560 | 1600 |
| 2004 | Manhattan Brass | Cuckoo | Lois Ehlert | 475 | 1200 |
| 2004 | Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues | The Jazz Fly | Matthew Gollub | 1625 | 2502 |
| 2004 | Imani Winds | When it Starts to Snow | Phillis Gershator | 804 | 1774 |
| 2005 | Marian Anderson String Quartet | The Bat Boy & His Violin | Curtis Gavin | 725 | 1437 |
| 2005 | Imani Winds | Ruby Sings the Blues | Niki Daly | 1368 | 2101 |
| 2005 | Triton Brass Quintet | Where There's A Bear, There's Trouble | Michael Catchpool | 1205 | 1327 |
| 2006 | Fry Street Quartet | Shy Charles | Rosemary Wells | 542 | 880 |
| 2007 | CINCO Brass Quintet | Rose Meets Mr. Wintergarten | Bob Graham | 1079 | 1956 |
| 2007 | Jupiter Quartet | The Bat Boy & His Violin | Curtis Gavin | 1519 | 1694 |
| 2007 | CINCO Brass Quintet | Elena's Serenade | Campbell Geeslin | 1833 | 2200 |
| 2008 | Fry Street Quartet | Max | Bob Graham | 510 | 2908 |
| 2008-09 | Euclid String Quartet | Sebastian's Roller Skates | Joan de Deu Prats | 2589 | 4127 |
| 2009 | Quintet Attacca | Peter and the Wolf | Sergei Prokoviev | 2542 | 3285 |
| 2009-10 | Euclid String Quartet | The Bee Tree | Patricia Polacco | 2500 | 3078 |
| 2010 | Angeles Saxophone Quartet | Ruby Sings the Blues | Niki Daly | 1266 | 3501 |
| 2011 | Calidore String Quartet | Miss Nelson is Missing | Harry Allard | 1153 | 1589 |
| 2011 | City of Tomorrow Woodwind Quintet | N/A | N/A | 712 | 1496 |
| 2011 | Axiom Brass | Imogene's Last Stand | Candace Fleming | 1826 | 2007 |
| Total | 31003 | 56432 |
2011 - 2012 Sponsors
Fischoff's Arts-in-Education Residency programs would not be possible without the generous support of the following:
- 1st Source Bank
- ArtsEverywhere Initiative of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County
- Arts Midwest
- 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
- Burkhart Advertising, Inc.
- Florence V. Carroll Junior Scholarship Fund
- Don & Nancy Crawford Fund
- The Cressy Foundation
- Crowe Horwath Foundation
- Culver Academies
- DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame
- Eddy Street Executive Suites
- Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
- Henkels Lecture Fund, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame
- Indiana Arts Commission
- Indiana Michigan Power
- JP Morgan Chase & Co.
- Notre Dame Federal Credit Union
- PNC Bank
- Jeny & John Sejdinaj
- Sylvan Fund at the Boston Foundation
- Target
- Teachers Credit Union
- University of Notre Dame
- Frederick S. Upton Foundation
- WSBT Radio Group*
This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Indiana Arts Commission, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.
* Denotes inkind support






