Columbus Symphony to Bring Carnegie Hall's LINK UP Music Education Program to Columbus

In collaboration with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI), the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) introduces the nationally acclaimed Link Up program. Students in grades 3-5 are given the opportunity to join the orchestra in this highly participatory program in which they learn to sing and play an instrument in the classroom then perform with the CSO from their seats at a culminating concert at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, conducted by the orchestra's Associate Conductor Peter Stafford Wilson.

"This three-year program is designed around the unique concept of erasing the gap between performers on stage and the audience in the hall," stated CSO Music Director Designee Rossen Milanov, who has been member of the creative team of Link Up in Carnegie Hall since the inception of the program in 2010. "The students will come to the theatre not only to listen, but also to perform with the orchestra. It's perfect for schools that do not offer music as part of their curriculum, thus making resources available for students that might not otherwise have the opportunity to be exposed to the world of the music."

The CSO will participate in the Link Up program titled "The Orchestra Moves" which explores how melody, rhythm, and harmony all change, shift, and develop. Students will learn Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, mvt. 1; Strauss' The Blue Danube; and Mendelssohn's "Nocturne" from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The cost is $5 per person with one free chaperone ticket for every 20 paid student tickets. This includes the cost of curriculum materials and additional resources including:

• Professional development session for participating teachers.
• One copy of Link Up: The Orchestra Moves for each student.
• Link Up curriculum guide with accompanying CD and DVD for teachers, featuring lessons on singing, playing the soprano recorder, reading and notating music, and composing and improvising. (If needed, recorders can be purchased for $2.25/each.)
• Access to Carnegie Hall's online resource center with additional lessons and resources.

Utilizing these materials, teachers can guide students in exploring music through a composer's lens with students participating in active music-making in the classroom; performing repertoire on recorder, violin, voice, or body percussion; and taking part in creative work such as composing their own pieces inspired by the orchestral music they have studied. Teachers can tailor this curriculum to meet their students' needs and yearly schedule.

Music specialists or classroom teachers interested in participating in the CSO's Link Up: The Orchestra Moves program should contact CSO Director of Education Jeani Stahler at jstahler@columbussymphony.com or visit http://www.columbussymphony.com/education/link-up/.

Deadline for registration is October 20. If there is additional interest expressed after that date, the CSO will schedule a second Professional Development Workshop to accommodate all interested teachers.

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