Making Connections in Ogden, Utah

We had an exciting array of outreach events around our radio taping earlier last month in Ogden, Utah! Thanks to our presenter Weber State University (WSU), our staff and performers had the chance to make some inspiring connections with students, ranging from elementary school to college, in the Ogden community!


Within hours of arriving in Ogden, our education team and the Meshugene Quartet from Midwest Young Artists in the Chicago-area kicked things off by visiting with a group of students, grades 3 through 5, involved in WSU’s Strings Project: an after-school orchestra program that is part of a national initiative by the American String Teachers Association. The quartet gave a stunning performance of diverse repertoire, including Haydn, Shostakovich, and Grieg. Their coach Allan Dennis talked about the important musical aspects, giving the audience a “listening guide” for each piece. The group also shared some of their favorite ways to practice together as a group – check out the video below!

At the end of the program, the audience had some great questions, ranging from “How many hours a day do you practice?” to “What’s your favorite type of pie?” Many of the students stayed afterwards to meet with the performers one-on-one.

The next day just before From the Top’s dress rehearsal, our producer Tim Banker met with WSU students who manage the school’s radio station, KWCR 88.1, to explore what makes good radio. Providing handouts with sample stories and characters, Tim challenged the students to determine which would make the most compelling story within a From the Top program. He talked about how our show strives to bring to life these young performers’ memories and experiences. Check out the video below to hear some of what he shared:

The day after the taping, we traveled with four of our performers to Mt. Ogden Junior High School, where we met with a class of music students in grades 6 through 8. Gathered on the school auditorium’s stage, these kids got a “sneak peek”  of the show, with each performer playing a piece that had been featured the night before. Our performers also shared a range of personal insights, from struggles with finding the motivation to practice to what had first inspired them to pursue classical music.

Stay tuned for more exciting stories about our community outreach efforts on the road!