Learning in Concert

Learning in Concert is an in-school partnership program with the NBSO and over forty local elementary schools in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It uses a concept-based arts integration model where a musical concept is explored alongside other art and academic areas that authentically share the same concept. The Learning in Concert program is designed as a unified, comprehensive, three-phase curriculum project spanning an entire school year. The program begins with an in-school, arts integrated assembly concert program, followed by individual classroom lessons partnering the NBSO Education Director with individual classroom teachers and students, primarily third graders. The third phase is the culminating event where students’ year-long creative work and collaborations are featured and performed at the annual Young People’s Concerts. More than 8,000 students will participate this year, including all second and third grade students from New Bedford Public Schools. 

Learning in Concert 2025-2026: Currents in Concert

The 2025-2026 Learning in Concert program will explore the fascinating world of ocean currents and how they shape life in the sea, illustrating these concepts through classical music. Through the performances of classical music, students will engage with musical lines that mirror the contrasting movements of Northern and Southern ocean gyres, and gain a deeper understanding of surface waves and internal waves using music to embody the dynamic flow and energy of ocean currents.

Through this innovative exploration of music and marine science, students will uncover the profound connection between music and the natural world. Featuring music by Mendelssohn, Debussy, Glass, Schumann, Beethoven, Sibelius, and Dukas, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution participating scientists, Dr. Francesco Ventura, and Dr. Iury Simoes-Sousa.

In the classroom, students experience surface wave motion through sound and touch, and discover how the range and frequency of surface waves vary based on a given wind speed. Students also sculpt an internal wave melodic line to illustrate how internal waves responds to specific bathymetric features on the ocean floor

View Past Programs