A new generation brings classical music to new learners

Music is a powerful developmental tool boosting language and cognitive abilities in young children. Not everyone's kids were ever exposed to it, and this terrific youth orchestra is filling the gap.

I was raised on classical music as a kid. Our parents weren’t rich—Dad wrote down every penny he spent in a little notebook—but they made sure we took classical piano lessons from a very young age and continued through high school. One of us (three sisters) even has a master’s degree in piano and harp.

It was a gift I didn’t fully appreciate until decade…