(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Friday morning, the Ovation Youth Orchestra put on an unforgettable performance for students and staff at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB).

“I’m thrilled,” CSDB Music Teacher, Julie Harrison, said. “I’m thrilled that the orchestra comes and visits our students at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. It is an honor and the students always love it.”

The Ovation Youth Orchestra is a part of the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association which consists of talented young musicians in Southern Colorado.

“We have musicians from eight to 18,” Music Director for Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association, Gary Nicholson, said. “We have a variety of groups based upon age and experience. Everybody auditions to be in a group like this or top groups we have. This is our, The Ovation Orchestra that you heard today is our second-level group.”

Students were able to stand side-by-side with musicians and place their hands on the instrument to feel the beat and picture what the instrument looked like.

“I think what’s the greatest thing about this experience for our students is concept development,” Harrison said. “They’re able to go and touch and feel the instruments, feel the shape of the instruments, how the person plays the instruments.”

Seven-year-old Matthew Lohrenz touched the violin. When asked about the performance, he said, “it sounded pretty.”

Matthew Lohrenz held the violin during one of the performances.

Ashley Meggett, a member of the Ovation Youth Orchestra, shared this was her first time at CSDB and described how happy she was to play music for these students.

“And these kids, like their lives are so different from ours,” Meggett said. “But seeing that and like we can still share music as our medium, no matter like what your life looks like, we can still connect that way and it was so cool to see.”

One performer answered questioned and showed a student his instrument.

When the first song played, big smiles filled several of the student’s faces showing the immense impact music has.

“They looked like they were enjoying it so much,” Meggett said. “And that’s just so rewarding as a musician to just see that people are like, enjoy your craft, and that just makes it all worth it.”

For students that could not hear, they were given balloons to be able to feel the vibrations of the music.

“I like to pass out balloons at these kinds of concerts for my students from the school for the deaf because it provides tactile access to the music,” Harrison said. “So, the balloons vibrate and so they’re not only using their auditory and visual sense, they also are incorporating their tactile sense.”

Students held balloons to feel the vibrations of the performance.

The performance allows CSDB students of all ages to experience the power and connection music holds.

“It’s so universal because you don’t need words, you don’t need script,” Meggett said. “It’s just sound and it’s so magical to watch it just all come together.”