student-conducting_web.jpgPALM BEACH GARDENS — The Music & You In-School Youth Education Program finale concert is Feb. 7 at the Eissey Campus Theatre, 11051 Campus Dr., Palm Beach Gardens, the Palm Beach Pops announced.

The program was founded by the late Maestro Bob Lappin, based on his belief that all children deserve the chance to benefit from meaningful arts experiences, a statement from organizers said. Lappin died Aug. 19. He was honored with a musical tribute on Feb. 4.

Designed to benefit underserved school districts, the program has reached nearly 90,000 elementary school students over the past 15 years.

The four-week program is benchmarked to Florida Sunshine State Standards and correlates music with social studies, literature, character education, science and math to enhance major academic disciplines. 

The program incorporates performances by members of the Palm Beach Pops Orchestra, each week highlighting one of the four families of instruments – brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion.

The Palm Beach Pops provides the curriculum, including study materials for the students, in addition to the orchestra performances and bussing the students to the concert, at no cost to the schools involved.  

The program included 1,100 students from the second to fifth grades.  Four Palm Beach County Schools participated and will be represented at the finale concert on Feb. 7.

These schools include Dwight D. Eisenhower and North Palm Beach Elementary, located in Palm Beach Gardens and Jerry Thomas Elementary and Beacon Cove Intermediate School, located in Jupiter. 

 “We are excited about the upcoming Music & You finale concert and look forward to wrapping up all the concepts and seeing students on stage with the Pops orchestra,” said Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, executive director of the Palm Beach Pops. “The Maestro was passionate about reaching and educating children through the beauty of music and the Palm Beach Pops family is committed to continuing his legacy and providing students throughout our community the opportunity to benefit from our program.”

The Palm Beach Pops is a nonprofit organization, supported solely through the generosity of individual donations, institutional grants and concert income.

For more information, please visit palmbeachpops.org or call 561-832-7677.