Your students can perform together with the Fairfax Symphony on March 9, 2027!

In partnership with Carnegie Hall, the Fairfax Symphony is pleased to offer our innovative music learning program, “Link Up: The Orchestra Sings.” 

Melody is one of the universal elements of music and defines the music we know and love. A great melody can express ideas and emotions, help tell a story, and bring people together through song. Composers create melodies through a combination of rhythmic patterns, sweeping contours, and expressive qualities. Through the Link Up repertoire, hands-on activities, and a culminating interactive performance with a professional orchestra, we will explore what makes a melody great.

Explore Elements of Melody -- What fundamental elements do composers use to create great melodies?

Explore Building on Melody: Melodic Layers -- How does a melody change when layered with another melody?

Explore Building on Melody: Lyrics -- How do composers combine music and words?

Explore Melodies in Context: Stories, Cultural Influences, and Dance -- How are melodies represented and shared across cultures?

The Link Up Sings repertoire:

• Thomas Cabaniss’s “Come to Play”
• 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
• Valerie Coleman’s “Umoja”

Teacher and student guides are provided, with customized Lesson Plans for teaching the curriculum. Through active listening, analyzing the music, and a focus on the expressive quality of the music, students will put these core capacities to use in a new domain. Link Up is an evidenced-based music learning program developed by the Weill Institute of Carnegie Hall, with curriculum supporting national CORE and Virginia Standards of Learning. The program is ready to implement and flexible, with teachers able to incorporate the Link Up curriculum and engaging lessons into their classroom to support their students' learning goals.

Link Up connects the classroom to the concert hall to enhance student's skills including:

• Literacy
• Math
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Confidence