U-46 students to play with Elgin Symphony

For years, recorders have been a mainstay of elementary school music education.

But it's not often that the hours spent laboring on the instruments culminate in a performance with a nationally renowned orchestra.

For the first time this year, students in selected elementary schools in Elgin Area School District U-46 will be able to perform with the acclaimed Elgin Symphony Orchestra through a grant from the U-46 Educational Foundation and a program created by the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.

The Communities Link Up program sponsored by the institute aims to foster music appreciation among children in grades three through five. The program, provided to schools at no cost, teaches children basic music literacy and offers opportunities to learn from and perform with world-class musicians.

In May, students will perform with the symphony at the Hemmens Auditorium in Elgin in a concert that may include selections from Beethoven, Dvorak and Copland.

“We feel fortunate that we still have a fine arts program, and I think we're determined to hang on to that,” said Terri DeDecker, U-46 fine arts coordinator. “These type of partnerships, they help fill in some of those gaps when we look at cuts in our programs.”

A $4,800 grant from the U-46 Foundation has enabled the district to offset some of the cost of recorders for about 800 fourth-graders at eight schools: Centennial, Coleman, Creekside, Harriet Gifford, Huff, Liberty, Lowrie, Oakhill, Sheridan, Sunnydale and Sycamore Trails.

U-46 and the Elgin orchestra already work together on the Family Fun Concert Series and other enrichment opportunities for students. The orchestra views the new partnership as way to build its audience.

“If students are studying music, they're more apt to want to attend one of our concerts,” said Wendy Evans, education and community outreach manager for the orchestra and a violinist in the ensemble. “We found that a lot of students, when they're first exposed to the orchestra, they want to come back.”

U-46 and the orchestra are hoping to secure grant funding to make the Link Up program an annual affair. The concert will be held on May 10.