Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks

Concerts for Young People

Upcoming Performances

Fri, Apr 4 9:45 am New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark
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Thu, Apr 10 10:30 am Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown
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Concert Information

Estimated Concert Duration: 50 minutes

Music rocks when it is powerful and edgy, and when it propels both audiences and performers into motion. By exploring musical pulse, rhythm, movement, and timbre through the Link Up curriculum and concert repertoire, students will discover what makes the orchestra rock!

The Link Up program addresses National Core Arts Standards for Music.

What is Link Up?

For more than 30 years, Link Up—a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI)—has paired orchestras with students in their local communities to explore orchestral repertoire and fundamental musical skills, including creative work and composition, through a hands-on music curriculum. Students participating in Link Up attend a culminating concert where they sing or play the recorder or violin with the orchestra from their seats.

Link Up provides a free, high-quality, yearlong curriculum that teachers can implement, along with classroom materials, online video and audio resources, and the professional development and support necessary to make the program an engaging experience for students.

Link Up with your New Jersey Symphony!

Complete the online registration form to reserve your Link Up concert tickets (all tickets $8; tickets for schools in formerly designated Abbott Districts are FREE).
Participate in the Link Up teacher professional development workshop (detailed info provided upon registration).
Use the materials provided by Carnegie Hall to prepare your students for The Orchestra Rocks.
Participate in the Link Up concert, where you and your students make music with the New Jersey Symphony right from your seats!

This is a national program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.

Which grade levels can I bring to Link Up?: Students from Grades 1-8 are welcome to attend. The curriculum provided by Carnegie Hall is designed specifically with Grades 3-5 in mind. However, teachers are encouraged to adapt the materials and learning objectives to suit their students’ grade level.
What does student participation in the Link Up concert look like?: The concert repertoire has parts written for beginner recorder, advanced recorder, violin and voice. In addition, some pieces involve clapping, chanting and dancing. The teacher decides what combination of these the students will prepare.

In the months leading up to the concert, teachers will guide their students through the concert repertoire and teach the related musical concepts. On the day of the concert, students will bring their recorders and violins to the hall. The host and conductor will instruct the students when to sing, play, clap, and dance along.

In some cases, schools opt out from student participation and attend the concert to listen and expose themselves to live orchestral music. While this option has value, students do have a deeper, more meaningful learning when preparing and participating in the concert.
What key objectives does the Link Up curriculum address?: Through the lessons in the Link Up curriculum, students will:

Perform by singing and playing the soprano recorder or string instruments as soloists, small ensembles and with the 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 melodies as models.

Develop their imaginative capacities and make personal connections to music.

The Link Up program addresses National Core Arts Standards for Music and Common Core State Standards
Do my students need to memorize the concert repertoire?: No, the students do not need to memorize the concert repertoire. At the concert venue, there will be a large screen projecting the music and lyrics to the pieces. Vocal modelers will be on stage singing along, and the conductor will be cueing the students in on tricky entrances as well.
How will my students get to and from the concert venue?: Teachers and homeschool parents are responsible for organizing transportation for their students. Driving directions, bus ingress/egress procedures and parking details will be sent to registrants closer to the concert date.
When is payment due? How can I pay?: Payment is due no later than Monday, March 24, 2025. Payment is accepted via check, credit card or purchase order. Payment details will be sent with an invoice via e-mail, following confirmation of final patron count.
Where should I direct other questions?: Please contact the Education & Community Engagement team by email at education@njsymphony.org.