Link Up - Akron Symphony Orchestra
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Link Up

March 19, 2019 at 9:45 am

The Akron Symphony Orchestra is one of more than 100 national and international organizations selected to participate in the Link Up program in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.

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Link Up

Details

Date:
March 19, 2019
Time:
9:45 am
Event Category:

Venue

The Word Church
2324 Manchester Road
Akron, OH 44314 United States + Google Map
Phone
330.535.8131

Link Up’s national partnerships grew out of the program’s ongoing work with New York City schools, through which Carnegie Hall has engaged hundreds of thousands of students in musical learning since its inception in 1985. For more information about the Link Up program and Carnegie Hall, visit this link.

Link Up pairs orchestras across the country with schools in their local communities. It’s a highly participatory program that invites students to learn about orchestral repertoire through a yearlong, hands-on music curriculum. Each program focuses on specific concepts, including rhythm, melody, tempo, orchestration, and composition.

Utilizing materials provided free-of-charge by Carnegie Hall, teachers 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.

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The Orchestra Swings

In 2018-19, the Akron Symphony will partner with 52 area schools and more than 3,500 students for The Orchestra Swings. The collaboration will culminate with two performances at The Word Church on March 19 at 9:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. The concerts will provide students the opportunity to sing and play the recorder along with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Assistant Conductor Eric Benjamin.

“Swing” is many things. It’s a distinctive rhythmic feel; a musical era dominated by big band jazz; a style of dance that grew alongside the music; and that elusive but unmistakable feeling that results when musicians are deeply tuned into each other and playing in sync, or “in the pocket.” Though swing is characteristically associated with jazz, an orchestra can also swing. Through the Link Up repertoire, hands-on activities, and a culminating interactive performance with a professional orchestra, we will explore the elements that contribute to that magical moment when the orchestra starts to swing.

Key Objectives

Students will:

  • Perform by singing and playing the soprano recorder or string instruments as soloists, small ensembles, and orchestra
  • Analyze and interpret the essential structures of rhythm and groove
  • Connect with the orchestra and explore instruments, families, and orchestration
  • Compose and notate new music using the concert music as models
  • Develop their imaginative capacities and make personal connections to the music

Sample Concert Repertoire

“Duke’s Place” – Duke Ellington
“I Got Rhythm” – George Gershwin
“It Don’t Mean A Thing” – Duke Ellington
“When the Saints Go Marching In”

The concert is free to attend, but reservations are required. Contact the Akron Symphony at 330.535.8131 for more information.