Youth & Family Concerts

The Walla Walla Symphony began providing free concerts for school children in 1953. In 2016 we deepened our collaborative efforts with area 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders through Link Up, a music education program provided by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI). Link Up is a highly participatory program that pairs orchestras across the country with schools in their local communities, inviting students to learn about orchestral repertoire through a yearlong, hands-on music curriculum. Each year focuses on specific concepts, including rhythm, melody, tempo, orchestration, and composition. Utilizing materials provided free-of-charge by WMI, 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.  

At the end of the program students have the opportunity to sing and play the recorder or violin along with the Walla Walla Symphony at a free live performance. This performance often serves as students’ first concert experience and provides them with the opportunity to apply the musical concepts they have studied. The Symphony also performs the program for families at the Free Family Concert & "Foodraiser”. Before this event, the community has the opportunity to try out the instruments of the orchestra in the lobby, including strings, brass, winds, and percussion. Admission is free with a non-perishable food item donation.

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