Conductor Wesley Schulz leads the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Auburn Symphony Jazz Sextet, and Auburn School District’s fourth grade class in a swing rendition of the Link Up Program theme song, Come to Play. (Colby Bariel, Jan. 21, 2025)
By Colby Bariel
UW News Lab
The Auburn Symphony Orchestra hosted its annual Link Up program for Auburn School District’s fourth grade classes at the Auburn Performing Arts Center. The performance was led by conductor Wesley Schulz, vocalist Johnaye Kendrick, and trumpeter Brian Shaw.
The orchestra has partnered with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute to bring the Link Up curriculum to the Auburn School District for the past four years. According to the Weill Institute, Link Up is a free program that connects students with professional musicians to educate and foster an appreciation for music.
“At the Auburn Symphony Orchestra it’s really important to us to make connections with young people,” said Schulz. “Link Up is our program to bring music education, singing, and dancing to all of the fourth graders in the Auburn School District.”
This year, the Weill Institute’s curriculum introduced fourth graders to swing music, blending jazz and orchestral elements.
To start the show, Schulz and Kendrick introduced the Auburn Symphony Orchestra Jazz Sextet, bringing together some of the Pacific Northwest’s best jazz musicians including saxophonist Steve Treseler, trombonist Jerome Smith, and drummer Greg Williamson. According to event organizers, this is the first Link Up show to feature this sextet.
The jazz sextet played a key role in teaching students the elements of swing music, particularly swinging eighth notes, syncopation, and improvisation, according to Schulz and Kendrick.
The performance included many recognizable swing tunes such as “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin and “When the Saints Go Marching In” by Louis Armstrong.
Fourth grade Auburn students hold up their recorders before tuning up. (Colby Bariel, Jan. 1, 2025)
Before the performance started, students were given recorders to play along with conductor Schulz and the symphony, some would instead opt to sing along with vocalist Kendrick.
During the performance, the Link Up curriculum has students spend half the time listening and observing and the other half participating through playing, singing, and dancing. However, much of the learning happens long before coming out to meet the orchestra, Schulz said.
According to their music teachers, students spend class time learning how to play songs from the curriculum. This performance serves as a culmination of the work students have done throughout the year.
“It’s our way to forge a connection between live, classical, orchestral music and young people,” said Schulz. “Our number one is just to love music.”
Schulz said that the Link Up program gives students a valuable experience playing alongside professional musicians.
Link Up is important for not only aspiring musicians but also students in general, Schulz said.
“If a child is inspired by what they see and hear that day and decide to pick up an instrument, that’s awesome,” Schulz said. “But mostly, we just want students to know they can participate in music or listen to music and take that experience with them throughout the rest of their lives.”
As the Auburn Symphony Orchestra continues to host the Link Up program every year, coordinators of the program will choose from “The Orchestra Plays”, “The Orchestra Sings”, or “The Orchestra Rocks”.
To learn more about the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, click here.
For more information about upcoming shows check out their event calendar.
University of Washington’s News Lab (COM 362) gives advanced Journalism and Public Interest Communication students an opportunity to build a dynamic clip portfolio by working with client news outlets and other organizations in the greater Seattle area.
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