What is BRAVO?

  • BRAVO is a music appreciation program for children in kindergarten through the upper elementary grades.
  • A different series of music is presented each year for five years.  There are six lessons in each series.
  • Each six-lesson series focuses on classical music, including contemporary American composers, but also including elements of jazz and folk music. One series focuses on instruments – what they look like and how they make sounds.
  • BRAVO is designed to supplement already existing music instruction or to provide a music appreciation experience if no program exists.
  • BRAVO lessons are designed to affect students in their ever-changing world by providing opportunities for them to enjoy, experience, participate in and be challenged by classical music.

What are BRAVO goals?

  • To help make classical music an integral and meaningful part of students’ lives
  • To promote exposure to and develop appreciation for classical music
  • To develop the life skill of listening attentively and critically
  • To encourage students to be creative and to use their imaginations while listening
  • To help students understand the importance of music in world history and cultures of the world
  • To help prepare students for instrumental music experiences: piano, band, orchestra, etc.

Who can teach BRAVO?

Bravo is designed to be taught by parent/community volunteers in the classroom.

Minnesota volunteers attend two 2-hour training sessions; one in the fall and one in the winter. All teaching materials are at the training sessions for local school volunteers.

Out-of-state classroom volunteers will be trained annually by a BRAVO trainer at a two-hour session in the fall.  Classroom volunteers will get teaching supplies from their school BRAVO building coordinators.

Lesson preparation time varies with individual presenters;  volunteers typically spend one-to-two hours to prepare a 30-minute classroom presentation.

The program may also be taught by music teachers and classroom teachers. BRAVO information and curriculum can be provided on a flashdrive that includes powerpoint lessons with embedded sound and YouTube clips, worksheets, and DVDs.  Having the materials on a flash drive makes BRAVO lesson preparation and classroom presentations more convenient and less time consuming for teachers.

What materials are included in the BRAVO curriculum?

A  STUDY MANUAL that includes:

  • Lesson plans for classroom presentations
  • Preparatory and follow-up activities
  • Creative ideas for volunteer presentations
  • Information about each musical selection
  • Historical information and timelines
  • Composer pictures and information about the life and work of each composer
  • Teaching tips
  • A variety of student worksheets for each lesson
  • Listening and Activity Charts
  • Teacher letters and other helpful administrative handouts

A FLASH DRIVE that includes:

  • Powerpoint slides with embedded sound and YouTube clips for lesson presentations
  • Worksheets for duplication
  • BRAVO DVDs with musical presentations by young people, MN Orchestra musicians, composer interviews, etc. to supplement and enhance the BRAVO lesson