Fourth graders sang, danced and played on their recorders while the Virginia Symphony wowed the young participants with a variety of music — Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Leonard Bernstein’s “Mambo,” the Zimbabwe rhythmic dance “Mhande,” and more.

During six concerts over three days, VBCPS elementary students performed with professional musicians during “The Orchestra Moves” at Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

In the weeks leading up to the concerts, students practiced singing and playing the recorders with their music teachers.

Fourth graders from Thalia Elementary had front-row seats:

• “I think it’s great,” Kayden Bronson said.
• “It’s exciting that we get to sing with an orchestra,” Maria Argdal said.
• “It’s neat to be so close and see what a violin and a trumpet look like,” Kayden Jordan said.

Thalia music teacher Breanna McMillan said the students got increasingly excited as the concert date came closer.

“They were especially excited about shouting ‘Mambo!’ during one of the pieces,” she said.

The program reaches students throughout Hampton Roads with a hands-on curriculum. Virginia Symphony partners with Carnegie Hall’s “Link Up” program to provide teachers with lessons in music literacy, fundamentals and history that align with the Standards of Learning.

“One of the greatest things for students is they come to a professional performance, many of them for the first time, and they get to not only see musicians but participate in a performance with them,” said Helen Martell, the symphony’s director of education.

VBCPS wants to make sure no student graduates without hearing a live music performance, said John Brewington, the school division’s coordinator of performing arts.

“There’s a deep connection,” he said. “Kids come and they see themselves in these performances. The orchestra doesn’t play for them. The orchestra plays with them.”

During the concerts, symphony members speak to students about the different families of instruments. A piccolo player introduces the woodwinds, a trumpetist talks about the brass family, a timpani drummer introduces the percussion section and a violinist (a former North Landing Elementary student) explains the strings family.

Students walk away with an appreciation for nondigital music, and some are inspired to pick up an instrument at home in addition to the recorders provided by schools.

The musicians get a lot out of the program as well, Martell said.

“They enjoy seeing the students engaged in the music,” she said.