Students also identify with the SPCO and Cultural Partner role models who visit them, and see new possibilities for their own futures because of that interaction. Classroom teachers and music specialists collaborate to teach lessons which integrate music and the arts into other subject areas, such as language arts, social studies, and science. Up to four times each year, students are visited by SPCO musicians in their classrooms. In addition, students are visited up to two times a year by Cultural Partners, artists from other cultures, art forms, and musical styles. Many teachers have reported that the collaborative nature of the program has changed the school environment.
Teachers also have professional development opportunities.
Because this is a long-term partnership, teachers have ample opportunity to develop their approach to the curriculum and to the program as a whole. Each application was reviewed by a panel comprised of local arts and education representatives. Finalist schools were then visited by SPCO staff. Selected schools displayed strong commitment to arts education across the curriculum, a willingness to collaborate within the teaching staff, and a commitment from the entire teaching staff. Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.