Leonard Bernstein was one of America’s best-known composers. He was also an accomplished pianist, conductor, and educator. Learning about Leonard Bernstein is a lot of fun because he was alive recently enough that you can see videos of him in action conducting his own music or teaching all about the orchestra.

Here are some interesting facts about Bernstein:

• He had his own television show that introduced the orchestra to audiences. It was called “Young People’s Concerts.” You can still watch them!
• He wrote more traditional orchestra music as well as musicals like West Side Story and On the Town.
• He conducted the New York Philharmonic for the first time with less than 24 hours notice and became an instant sensation and audience favorite.