Maryland Students IN THE Spotlight
LINK UP EVENT FEATURES STUDENTS PLAYING FROM THEIR SEATS
OrchKids student performing at the 2024 Spring Celebration concert . This time , they ’ ll be performing with BSO musicians at Link Up .
ON MARCH 26 AND 27 , over 4,000 local students , including 1,400 OrchKids students , will not just walk through the doors of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall — they will be a part of the music making experience . The fourth and final Midweek Education Concert program of the season is the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra ’ s first ever Carnegie Hall Link Up event , The Orchestra Sings . Students and music teachers have been diligently preparing for the event since last fall , learning the basics of recorder and vocal technique to perform alongside the Orchestra from their seats .
“ Performing with professional musicians is an incredibly rare experience for young students ,” Ren Neely , OrchKids Musicianship Teacher at Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School said . “ Creating these magical music moments will help them foster a love for music early in their lives .”
Neely teaches OrchKids students in Pre-K through second grade at one of the program ’ s six in-school musicianship sites in Baltimore . Students in these classes are introduced to the fundamentals of music through games and activities that invite them to discover musical concepts in a fun , participatory manner . They also receive hands-on experience learning an instrument . With this program structure , pedagogy , and dedicated musicianship staff in place , OrchKids was a leading adopter of The Link Up program .
“ Preparing for the inaugural Link Up concert with the BSO has been a very exciting process ” OrchKids Early Learning Manager and String Ensembles
Director Liam Cunningham said . “ Robust music and arts training are not widely available in Baltimore , and it has been a great joy to be a part of a team dedicated to bringing more schools , teachers , and students into the Hall .”
The Link Up curriculum for The Orchestra Sings focuses on melody as a universal element of music by teaching students how to sing and play popular songs on the recorder , including Beethoven ’ s “ Ode to Joy ,” Dvořák ’ s “ New World ” Symphony , and the spiritual , “ We Shall Not Be Moved .” The program also comes with dedicated resources for music teachers sharing instrumental education techniques they can bring back to their classrooms .
“ Creating these magical music moments will help them foster a love for music early in their lives .”
– REN NEELY OrchKids Musicianship Teacher
The BSO Education team , along with OrchKids instructors , hosted three Link Up trainings for all registered and / or interested school music teachers . Beyond training the BSO provided 2,184 free soprano recorders to 16 schools . Thanks to dedicated funding from generous friends , tickets ( for all Maryland Title-I schools ) and bussing ( for all Baltimore City Title-I schools ) were also available at no charge to the school or families .
For many students , the Link Up program is the start of their musical journey , and an introduction to the power of live music .
“ Opportunities like this introduce our youngest performers to the communal joy of music ,” Cunningham said . “ My hope is that the music my students learn now will stay with them for the rest of their lives and , with any luck , inspire them as leaders , artists , and consummate humans .”
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