The Abilene Philharmonic recently took Abilene ISD elementary students on a stroll through Czechoslovakia via the music of the 19th Century composer Antonin Dvorak.

Third through fifth graders from every elementary school in the district made their annual trip to the Abilene Convention Center to get a taste of classical music. The philharmonic played four different concerts, two each on Oct. 27 and 28, to very appreciative crowds of students from AISD and surrounding school districts. The philharmonic, in the midst of preparations for an Oct. 29 concert, played three movements of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7, originally completed in 1885 and first performed at St. James’s Hall in London.

Even though that was more than 137 years ago, the first concert Thursday morning struck a chord with the students from Taylor Elementary School.

“I have had countless children through the years tell me that they have never been to anything or any place like the Convention Center and Philharmonic concert,” Taylor music teacher Terry Graham said. “For some, it is the only time they will go. I have former students tell me it is one of their best memories. It’s so important that they get to go three years because it reinforces the experience to where it is truly internalized and remembered. The connections it makes are invaluable. My students thank me constantly as they exit the auditorium. They relate to classical music!

Graham said her students often find the most interesting connections to life through listening.

“They notice rhythms, instruments, and melodies, and connect them to stories and emotions,” she said. “They picked up on the fact that Dvorak wanted this piece to be the voice of his people. I thought the history of the Czech Republic might be hard for them to relate to, but they got it in ways that surprised even me. There are so many world connections that we can make through music education! It is truly the universal language.”

The musicians, under the direction of music director and conductor David Itkin, not only played the three movements from the symphony but also gave the students a sample of what each instrument sounds like with short musical interludes by each section. The favorite, as usual, was the “Imperial March” from Star Wars as performed by the trombones.

“The students loved the sound of the instruments together,” Graham said. “They mentioned the ‘Imperial March,’ and when asked what they learned, I loved the comment by one of my students who said they learned how cool instruments can be. They enjoyed learning about the Czech Republic and understood more than I thought they might. I loved it when one of my fifth graders compared it to last year’s concert and said he enjoyed this one even more. This is a child that would not normally be exposed to these types of experiences. We have opened a whole new world to him through his philharmonic experiences.”

That’s precisely the purpose of these yearly visits to the Convention Center to hear the Abilene Philharmonic: to expose students to a genre of music they might not have ever heard and might not hear again.

But hearing it for 40 minutes might be enough to spark a lifetime love for classical music.

“Many of our students are not regularly exposed to classical music at home,” said Jay Lester, AISD Executive Director for Fine Arts. “However, many of them realize that this music style can be found in television, movies, and even video games. I think back to some of my influential music teachers in school who introduced me to classical music and how that set me on a path in life that has brought me much joy and fulfillment.”