TULSA -- Sounds of classical music filled the auditorium of Will Rogers High School Thursday morning, and the musicians are probably not who you’d expect. Many of them are local elementary school students.
The third and fourth graders had the chance to sing and play instruments along with the Tulsa symphony.
The event is all part of the Carnegie Hall’s “Link Up” program. The Tulsa Symphony began the partnership last year and continues the season with “Link Up: The Orchestra Rocks!.”
The program hopes to teach students the beauty of classical music and encourage music studies.
“They would never think about listening to music like this, this is not what's on their iPod, but when we can put it in to their ears, they start to recognize the sounds and understand it and enjoy it more too,” said music teacher Sheryl Miller.
Clarinetist David Carter says this year, 12,000 students in five school districts participated in the program. Next year, he hopes to expand to even more schools.
"They've spent the last several months learning the songs inside and out, how to perform them, learning some games, then when they come here to the hall, they're actually sitting in their seats and singing along with us and playing the recorder. We’ve even had some violins show up to a few concerts, so they're actually participating in the music making," said Carter.
And the students enjoyed making the music.
"It was inspiring, I learned that I could grow up and play the cello more and learn more music that I can play," said 4th grader Aniyah Brunsn.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
