Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program pairs orchestras with students in grades 3–5 at schools in their local communities, giving students the opportunity to learn about, listen to, and perform great music. Students participating in Link Up explore an interactive curriculum in which they learn to sing and play an instrument in the classroom before performing with the orchestra from their seats at a culminating concert.

Link Up provides a free, high-quality yearlong curriculum that teachers can implement, along with teaching materials, online video and audio resources, and the professional development and support necessary to make the program an engaging experience for students. Every March, over 2,400 4th graders from throughout Southeast Idaho who have spent the year learning to play recorders and sing melodies join the Idaho State-Civic Symphony in a culminating side-by-side performance at the Stephens Performing Arts Center.  The ISCS participates in Link Up to further its goals of encouraging interest in music education, appreciation, and performance.

The Orchestra Sings

Melody is one of the universal elements of music, and defines the music we know and love. Composers create melodies through a combination of rhythmic patterns, contours, and expressive qualities. Through the Link Up repertoire, hands-on activities, and a culminating interactive performance with, students will explore what makes a melody great. This year, students and the symphony will perform the Orchestra Sings curriculum, which includes the following musical selections: Come to Play by Cabaniss, Beethoven's Ode to Joy,
Reena Esmail's Ram Tori Maya, Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony, Jim Papoulis’s Oye, Stravinsky’s Finale from The Firebird Suite, and Nathalie Joachim’s We Shall Not Be Moved.

What Your School Receives

• Link Up curriculum resources for each teacher (featuring repertoire for singing, playing the soprano recorder or violin, and program-related lesson plans and activities) with accompanying audio and video resources.
• Link Up resources for students.
• Professional development resources and webinar for lead teachers and administrators.
• Access to Carnegie Hall’s online resources, including additional lessons and interactive classroom resources.
• Access to Carnegie Hall’s Link Up Facebook group, which connects teachers, Carnegie Hall staff, and featured contributors to share ideas, student work, videos, and photos.

Support for Link Up is provided by the Idaho Commission on the Arts through the Arts Education Annual Projects grant program.