East Austin Students are Making Waves
Middle-school students receive 10 hours of free orchestral instruction weekly. Photo by Nathan Bernier/KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
A new program that aims to teach low income Hispanic youth how to play orchestral music is about to showcase its first crop of students. Austin Soundwaves started eight months ago inside the Southwest Key charter school campus with some help from University of Texas College of Fine Arts. The 65 kids in the program will perform on Tuesday, May 15 at the Bates Recital Hall on the University of Texas campus. KUT’s Nathan Bernier attended a practice session and captured this sound portrait. Click the player above to listen.
Sixth-grader Alex Quiñones plays the cello:
I thought it was interesting because none of my family members play an instrument, so I thought it’d be neat to play one. They like that I can play an instrument. They think it helps a lot with school. And it’s fun. It’s fun for them to hear.
Podcast: Download (3.0MB)
