Education
How I See Music is an educational program produced as part of Festival Napa Valley’s Arts for All initiative. Conducted as free, on-site workshops at schools, senior activity centers, and community centers, How I See Music combines “ears-on” and “hands-on” learning to explore symphonic music for listeners ages 5 to 95, teaching deep listening skills and the concept of abstraction in the visual arts.
How I See Music workshops serve over 800 students and elders annually. Past participants include Alta Heights Elementary School, Bel Aire Park Magnet School, Browns Valley Public School, California Veterans Home - Yountville, Calistoga Elmentary SchoolDonaldson Way Elementary School, McPherson Elementary School, Calistoga Elementary School, Napa Junction Magnet Elementary School, Napa Valley Language Academy, Northwood Elementary School, The Meadows, Rianda House, Silverado Orchards, Snow Elementary, St. Helena Elementary School, Vichy Elementary School, West Park Elementary School, and Willow Arts Magnet Elementary School.
Each year, a curated selection of the artwork created by workshop participants is presented as part of a live performance onstage during the Festival's Summer Season.
For the 2025 Summer Season, How I See Music workshops are offered at school sites and senior centers starting in October 2024 and continuing through April 2025.
If your school or senior center is interested in bringing a free How I See Music workshop to its site, please contact Festival Napa Valley’s Education Department.
A video installation of work from recent How I See Music workshops is exhibited at CIA at Copia in July and August each year.
Musical Compositions Featured in How I See Music
2025 - Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream
2024 - George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
2023 - Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2
2022 - Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony
How I See Music is funded in part by Kaiser Permanente.
