Students Interpret Music with SLSO’s Reimagined Express the Music Program
By Iain Shaw
Students from middle and high schools around St. Louis have been responding creatively to music as part of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s reimagined Express the Music program.
Hosted in partnership with the Symphony Volunteer Association and supported in part by the Employees Community Fund of Boeing, Express the Music invites students in grades 6–12 to examine the ideas, emotions, and personal experiences evoked by a piece of orchestral music. For the pilot program, the chosen work was the first movement of Contact by the SLSO’s 2025/26 Composer in Residence, Kevin Puts. The students were asked to listen to the movement, then respond to specific creative prompts with either a piece of writing or a work of visual art.
Five teachers from four different schools completed the pilot program: Grand Center Arts Academy, Parkway Central High School, Hazelwood West High School, and Villa Duchesne. The SLSO appointed a curatorial team including members of the SLSO, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, and IN UNISON Young Artists, among others, to choose works for publication. After two rounds of deliberation, the panel selected 13 works for publication. The works reflect the diverse experiences and perspectives of students in the St. Louis community. The selections are published on the SLSO website, giving students a powerful opportunity to share their work with the broader community.
Education Programs Manager Sarah Ruddy said the initiative helps to advance the SLSO’s goal of making music accessible for all.
See all of the selected works here.
“Express the Music gives students a platform to engage in a meaningful and authentic way with orchestral music,” Ruddy said. “Participants deepen their understanding of music and other arts as healthy modes of emotional expression, and practice responding with creative and expressive ideas.”
The program also provides teachers with an engaging and effective tool for integrating music and other subject areas.
“Having the SLSO as a resource for the music and ideas on how to implement was truly invaluable to my teaching practice and my students,” said English teacher Kathleen Bateman of Grand Center Arts Academy.
Express the Music and other SLSO education programs also aim to foster a lifelong interest and passion for music among young people in the St. Louis region.
“My class really liked listening to the piece and thinking more deeply about it,” said Alicia Bont, orchestra director at Parkway Central High School. “They also enjoyed talking about the relation between the piece and other music or media that they connect with.”
Following the success of the pilot, Express the Music will be extended to schools across the St. Louis region in the fall of 2026.
The works will be on display outside the Powell Hall auditorium during the concerts featuring the SLSO and Time For Three performing Puts’ Contact (March 20 and 22). The works will remain on display through the Youth Orchestra’s Spring Concert (March 29).
Iain Shaw is the SLSO’s Content Manager.
