How I See Music
Classroom Kit

Teachers participating in How I See Music workshops are invited to use this classroom kit as a resource to complement and enhance student learning. 

About the Program

How I See Music launched in 2020 as a free, interactive arts education program from Festival Napa Valley. During the 2026–27 school year, the program will serve more than 1,200 participants, including every third-grade student at a non-charter school in Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD).

Led by Festival Napa Valley education staff, the How I See Music workshop explores creativity, abstraction, personal reflection, and emotion through music and visual art. Participants engage in a guided deep-listening exercise and create original small-format paintings in response to a symphonic composition. For the 2026–27 school year, students will explore Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Workshop and classroom kit materials provide background on Debussy and the composition, supporting students’ understanding of the music and their creative responses.
 

Experience the Exhibition & Performance

Following the How I See Music workshops, Festival Napa Valley Education staff review participant artwork and select a group of works to be featured as large-scale projections on the onstage LED screens during a full-orchestra performance of the same composition explored in the classroom. Criteria for selection include creativity, varied interpretations of the music, and representation across participating classrooms. The performance will take place on July 25, 2027, at Charles Krug during Festival Napa Valley’s Summer Season.

Education staff will notify classroom teachers whose students’ artwork has been selected. These teachers and their students will be invited to attend the July 25 concert as complimentary guests of the Festival.

Make the Most of How I See Music


Follow these steps to extend and enhance concepts delivered through the How I See Music workshop.

Before the Workshop

  • Familiarize yourself with How I See Music Terms (5 minutes)

    Orchestra — A large group of classical musicians, including string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. A symphony orchestra performs symphonies and other orchestral pieces under the direction of a conductor.

    Deep Listening — First developed by American composer Pauline Oliveros, deep listening invites the participant to take an active role in what they hear.
     
  • Preview the Mini Lessons (10 minutes)
    The mini lessons are fun and interactive ways to learn about the orchestra. Each lesson is designed to take no more than fifteen minutes of class time and requires minimal preparation and materials.
     
  • Teach Pre-Visit Mini Lesson 1 (15 minutes)
     
  • Teach Pre-Visit Mini Lesson 2 (15 minutes)


After the Workshop

  • Practice deep listening with music in the classroom and talk with your students. Ask your students to describe what colors they hear, what shapes they see, and what emotions they feel.
     
  • Create a classical music playlist for your classroom. Invite students to select their favorite songs and describe why. If possible, share the playlist with your students’ families.
     
  • Incorporate writing into your deep listening practice. What images, feelings, and stories come to mind when your students hear certain songs?
  • How I See Music asks students to create a visual interpretation of a piece of music. Explore the opposite with your students, and ask them to select a piece of music to go with a work of art. How is this different or similar?
     
  • Learn more about classical music with your students through the Classics for Kids website.


Books to Add to Your Classroom Library