Inspiring Young Ears: DSO’s Annual Schools Tour 2025

Our annual Schools Tour is now a fixture in DSO’s calendar, occurring late in Term Four. In 2025, we visited 27 schools, on two different legs: one leg around Dunedin and North Otago, and one leg around the Queenstown/Central Lakes region. Reaching approximately 4,500 primary and intermediate-age children, our Tour introduces kids to the instruments of the orchestra and to the love of classical music.

Last year’s Tour featured music arranged by Justine Pierre, a long-time music educator and musician with DSO, and included pieces like the famous “Flower Duet” from the opera Lakmé, the “Promenade” from Pictures at an Exhibition, the “Imperial March” from John Williams’ score for Star Wars, and the surf music classic “Wipeout!”

This music was arranged for our six touring DSO musicians, with lots of opportunity for kids to get involved with the music and the musicians. One teacher said, “We loved the interactivity of the concert. It was great to get the children up and moving!” Hearing these orchestral instruments also inspired the kids, with one teacher noting the tour’s “true impact – I have had whānau asking if we could find a music teacher”, and another saying that without this Tour, the kids “wouldn’t have the opportunity to hear/see an orchestra”. This lack of opportunity often comes down to cost and access, and schools may not always have the budget allocation to allow for comprehensive music education on their own. So it’s DSO’s pleasure to bridge this gap, by bringing Otago kids our love of music through our Schools Tour!