At a concert in Meymandi Hall on October 9, the North Carolina Symphony played the "Nimrod" movement of Elgar's "Enigma Variations" to commemorate the recent death of Maxine Swalin, the wife of long-time conductor Benjamin Swalin, and one of the stalwart supporters responsible for the very existence of our state symphony orchestra.

The orchestra's sensitive performance of this tribute prompted memories about my earliest experiences with symphonic music. On several occasions as a student at Bragtown elementary school -- I can't remember which grades -- I went on a field trip to the Durham High School gymnasium to hear the North Carolina symphony.

Our teachers had prepared us with booklets describing each of the pieces we would hear; they had taught us appropriate concert conduct. As I recall it, Mrs. Swalin served as co-host of the concerts with Maestro Swalin. I don't remember any of the specific pieces the orchestra played, but it was always something a child would find interesting. We learned about the different sections of the orchestra, and I'm sure it's the first time I heard about the great composers. Sometimes we got to sing along with the orchestra (usually a patriotic or holiday song). The symphony had come to town just for us -- it was thrilling, and it was free.

The symphony that Dr. and Mrs. Swalin built continues to provide more than 40 concerts annually for North Carolina's school children. During the 2008-09 school year, thanks to support from the state, GlaxoSmithKline, Progress Energy, and numerous other supporters, 54,000 school children between third and fifth grades, in all corners of the state, attended a concert. Since the founding of the education concerts in 1946, over 3 million children have participated. That's at least three generations of children who might not otherwise have heard an orchestra play live.

In Durham Public Schools, all fourth-grade students are provided the opportunity to attend (at a modest cost, often covered by the school). Rather than the orchestra coming to Durham, the students go to Meymandi Hall -- certainly an improvement in acoustics from the DHS gym. The symphony provides excellent teacher and student resources online ( www.ncsymphony.org) including program notes and CDs.

I see that this year the students will hear a variety of composers, from Tchaikovsky and Beethoven to symphony trombonist Terry Mizesko (imagine--a living composer!) The theme of the program is "What makes music MUSIC?," and each piece has been selected to demonstrate an element of music: dynamics, melody, rhythm, tempo, form and texture. They'll sing "John Henry" with the orchestra (sheet music provided in the student program guide).

You never know what a difference such an experience can make in a child's life. Too often school is only about learning skills for future education and work, but there is life outside of work as well -- a life that's enriched by music, art, theater, and dance, where imagination, creativity and beauty are important beyond their mere practical value.

Seeing the symphony was significant to me. It sparked a growing interest in music that led to piano lessons in fifth grade (also provided at Bragtown school, though by a private teacher). Beginning at age 16, I served as a church pianist, then organist, and eventually choir director at Durham's First Christian Church. My teenage interest in classical music was fed by the Friends of the College concert series at N.C. State, where for an average of a dollar per concert, I could see the world's great orchestras and soloists of all kinds. Pretty soon, I began buying records and learning even more about classical music.

Now, full circle, I attend concerts in a world-class hall where my very own North Carolina Symphony can move me to tears with a tribute to the source of our mutual inspiration.