MILWAUKEE — The sound of steel pans echoed throughout the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center as students from across Milwaukee came together as part of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s steel pans program.
The upbeat rhythms and Caribbean-inspired music filled the room with energy as young musicians performed for families, community members and younger children dancing along to the music.
Watch: How the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra's steel pans program is bringing students together.
The Steel Pans program, part of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, gives middle and high school students from different neighborhoods and schools the opportunity to learn, perform and connect through music.
The program includes two ensembles, Soca and Calypso, and introduces students to the unique sound and culture of steel pan music.
“I get to see that joy and energy reflected, especially when we play for kids, on their faces,” Alex, a four-year member of MYSO’s Soca and Calypso ensembles, said.
Students say the program is about more than music. It also helps them build confidence, friendships and a sense of belonging.
“I've made so many new friends and I've found a place where I truly do belong,” Myso Cortez said.
Cortez has performed with MYSO for four years and also participates in the Wind Ensemble.
Founded in 1956, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra has grown into one of the nation’s largest and most respected youth orchestra programs.
MYSO serves students from southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois through more than 40 ensemble and enrichment programs, including symphony orchestras, jazz studies, wind ensembles and steel pan bands.
The organization focuses on helping young musicians grow both artistically and personally by encouraging teamwork, leadership and creativity. According to MYSO, many students receive financial assistance to ensure music education remains accessible to children from all backgrounds.
Recently, MYSO raised more than $41,000 through support from private donors and community members. The funding will help expand access to music education, instruments and programs like steel pans for students across Milwaukee.
“There’s something about the vibrations that these instruments put into the air that just gives such positivity and such glow to everybody who's performing it and who's watching it,” Tim Rush, Steel Band Director for MYSO, said.
Audience members could feel that energy throughout the performance as children danced and smiled to the rhythm of the music.
“The music was good,” one young audience member said after the performance.
For many students, the steel pans program is more than an after-school activity. It is a place where young people from different backgrounds can come together, express themselves and create community through one shared sound.
You can check out MYSO's upcoming events by clicking here.
Music featured during TMJ4's broadcast was composed by Victor Provost.
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