Symphony members wearing different colored shirts set up on a stage as elementary students take their seats in the audience.

A longstanding tradition in Spokane is Symphony Day, when Spokane Symphony invites 6,000 fourth and fifth grade students from 82 regional schools for a free concert as an introduction to orchestra instruments and classical music.

In middle school students have the chance to learn an instrument in band or orchestra – or choir, if their preferred instrument is their own voice – and deciding what instrument to pursue is often influenced by their experience on Symphony Day.