This week, St. Margaret’s Upper and Middle School orchestra students welcomed their youngest peers to an instrument petting zoo in the Darcy Rice Center for the Arts. The experience gave Early School students an up-close introduction to orchestral music. With older students serving as guides, the young learners could see, hear, and try a variety of instruments.

The cello, double bass, flute and violin were among the featured instruments, with Early School students watching closely as their older peers demonstrated how each one produces its distinctive sound. At a percussion table, they could make music with tambourines, gourd shakers, maracas, bells, guiros, and finger cymbals.

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The experience offered more than an introduction to instruments. It also gave younger students a chance to interact with Upper and Middle School musicians who stepped into the role of teachers and mentors.

The orchestra students then demonstrated their instruments for the Early School students before performing a few classics, including a short excerpt of “Remember Me” from Disney and Pixar’s Coco.

For a morning filled with strings, percussion, and discoveries, the experience struck a meaningful chord—showing how music can create connections across ages and divisions.