Sigal Music Museum’s new videos teach kids about instruments
Sigal Music Museum is known for its collaborations with top-flight performers who take part in their recorded concert series.
But what many may not know is the museum is partnering with local educators through a free video series for elementary-aged (grades 2 through 4) children in Greenville County schools.
The idea? Introduce the next generation to the vast array of musical instruments as part of a larger vision of taking these well-produced videos nationwide.
“This is around the age that young students choose an instrument to study, so hopefully these videos can put their mind at ease when making that decision,” says museum Executive Director David Sims. “Each video is hosted by a young teenage host, which helps younger students feel more comfortable, and includes animation to show how each musical instrument works. Each video closes with a conversation and brief performance by a local professional musician, which shows these young students that a career in music is possible.”
Sigal Music Museum education videos
These short (none are longer than five minutes) videos, filmed by GVL Media, include animation and musical examples geared for a young audience, and include professional musicians, many from Greenville Symphony Orchestra.
Highlighted instruments include the saxophone, flute, trumpet, and double-reed instruments such as the oboe, with a sixth video on the harpsichord coming soon, and all include animations by Dumah Morgan and Davey Morgan that explain how the specific instrument produces sound.
More videos are planned. “This series is primarily funded through the Elise C. Sigal Education Program, which was set up by Elise Sigal in 2019 as a part of the acquisition of the Sigal collection,” says Sims. “She had a love for education and wanted to set up that fund in order to create meaningful programs like this.”
The initiative is a perfect fit for the museum, which was founded in 2017 with the mission of collecting and preserving historical musical instruments, objects, and information in order to share them with the world.
It is named for the late Marlowe Sigal, a Massachusetts-based expert in instrument preservation, restoration, and study. His private collection of instruments is housed in the museum and cared for in part by a generous endowment from the Sigal family.
“We hope that this series will inform and inspire generations of elementary school students in Greenville County,” Sims says. “Future plans include opening this resource up to schools all over South Carolina and beyond.”
