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Listen. Imagine. Create.

The New Hampshire Philharmonic invites young artists to experience music in a whole new way through Drawn to the Music, our annual music and visual arts education program.  For 2027, students will explore Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite—a colorful orchestral journey through one of America's most extraordinary landscapes.

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Students listen to the music, use their imaginations, and create original artwork inspired by what they hear. Selected artwork will then become part of the concert itself, projected above the New Hampshire Philharmonic as the orchestra performs Grand Canyon Suite live on April 17 and 18, 2027.

About Drawn to the Music

Since its beginning in 2008, Drawn to the Music has brought music and visual art together for thousands of New Hampshire schoolchildren.  Students listen closely to orchestral music and respond through their own original artwork. Rather than being told what the music is supposed to look like, children are encouraged to think about the colors, images, movement, characters, emotions and stories they hear—and then put their own ideas on paper.

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Nearly 4,000 student illustrations have been submitted to the program since its inception. Past Drawn to the Music programs have explored works including Stravinsky's The Firebird, Prokofiev's Cinderella and Peter and the Wolf, John Adams' The Chairman Dances, Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, and Ravel's Mother Goose.  The result is an extraordinary collaboration between student artists and a live symphony orchestra.

The 2027 Musical Journey: Grand Canyon Suite

American composer Ferde Grofé used the orchestra like a painter uses a palette, creating five vivid musical scenes in his Grand Canyon Suite.  Students will listen to and explore all five movements:

 

Sunrise
The canyon awakens as darkness gives way to light.

 

The Painted Desert
A vast landscape filled with color, distance and stillness.

 

On the Trail
A lively and playful musical journey depicting a burro ride along the canyon trail.

 

Sunset
The changing light and colors of the canyon as the day draws to a close.

 

Cloudburst
A dramatic storm sweeps across the canyon with wind, rain, thunder and tremendous orchestral energy.

 

Students are encouraged to experience all five movements and then choose the scene—or scenes—that most inspire them.

Students are not required to create artwork for all five movements. Each artwork submitted simply needs to identify which movement of Grand Canyon Suite inspired the student's creation.  There is no single "right" way to interpret the music. We want students to listen, imagine and create.

Who Can Participate?

Drawn to the Music is designed for elementary school students in Grades 3–5.

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Teachers may incorporate the program into their music, visual arts or general classroom curriculum.  The NH Philharmonic provides teachers with program instructions, listening resources, creative prompts and submission information to make participation easy.  Artwork should be the student's own original response to the music.

How to Participate

1. Listen
Introduce students to all five movements of Grand Canyon Suite using the orchestral listening resources provided by the NH Philharmonic.

2. Imagine
Encourage students to think about what they hear. What colors come to mind? What is moving? What kind of landscape do they imagine? What is happening in the music? How does it make them feel?

3. Create
Students choose the movement or movements that inspire them and create an original visual interpretation.

4. Identify
Each submitted artwork must clearly identify the Grand Canyon Suite movement that inspired it.

5. Submit
Teachers submit student artwork to the New Hampshire Philharmonic following the instructions in the Teacher Guide.

Artwork Submission Deadline: February 1, 2027

From the Classroom to the Concert Hall

Following the submission deadline, the New Hampshire Philharmonic will select student artwork for inclusion in the multimedia concert presentation.  Selected artwork will be professionally digitized and projected during the orchestra's live performance of Grand Canyon Suite at the Seifert Performing Arts Center.

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Selected student artists will be invited to attend one of the Drawn to the Music performances free of charge with one parent or guardian, and participating teachers will also be invited to attend as our guests.  Teachers of selected students will receive complimentary ticket instructions and the appropriate promotional code prior to the concerts.

Drawn to the Music 2027 Performances

Saturday, April 17, 2027 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 18, 2027 at 2:00 p.m.

Seifert Performing Arts Center
Salem High School
44 Geremonty Drive
Salem, New Hampshire

The same student artwork presentation is planned for both performances.

Tickets

Tickets for the April performances are available through the NH Philharmonic's BookTix page:

Drawn to the Music 2027 Tickets

Teacher Resources - Links Below

Everything you need to participate is available here.

• 2027 Teacher Guide

• Teacher Invitation

• Classroom listening resources for Grand Canyon Suite, descriptions of all five movements and classroom discussion prompts.

• Teacher/Class Submission Form

• Student Artwork Identification Labels

• Parent/Guardian Permission Form

Questions?

We would love to have your students participate in Drawn to the Music 2027.

For questions about classroom participation or student artwork submissions, please contact:

Toni DeGennaro, Executive Director
New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra
toni@nhphil.org
603-785-8770

Listen. Imagine. Create. Then see your students' art become part of the music.