Capitol Crescendos: Schoo students play stringed instruments inside State Capitol

March 26, 2025

Schoo Middle School students used violins, violas, cellos and basses to make majestic memories inside the heart of the Nebraska State Capitol.
 
Thirty Schoo musicians traveled to the seat of Nebraska government for the Nebraska Music Education Association’s Capitol Concert Series. The seventh and eighth graders filled the Nebraska Rotunda with sweet-sounding scores from five orchestral songs. It was the first time a Schoo ensemble was selected to perform in the annual NMEA event.

 
Schoo eighth graders Karson and Alicia said the experience would be a lifelong memory for everyone in the group. Both spoke with excitement in their voices as they recounted their highlights of the 30-minute concert. Both have practiced their instruments for five years and are principal players of the violin and cello sections.
 
“It was just an amazing space,” Karson said. “The echo and everything. It really filled the room and it was so vibrant. It was just great.”

 
“It was really cool,” Alicia said. “It’s definitely a different space that we’re not used to, like the sound. We have a really good orchestra room, but just having a different space where it travels so much farther was really cool.”

Rob Salistean has taught music classes at Lincoln Public Schools for 20 years and leads orchestra ensembles at both Schoo and Northwest High School. He was happy to see all of the Skyhawks enjoy playing in the home of the Nebraska Legislature.
 
“It lived up to my expectations and beyond, because you don’t really know until you experience it just how live this space is,” Salistean said. “It sounded incredible in the Rotunda.”
 
The NMEA began hosting the Capitol Concert Series in 1998 for elementary, middle and high school students. Choirs, orchestras and bands from across Nebraska share their musical skills with audiences in the Rotunda during Music in Our Schools Month. The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of music education for Nebraska students.
 
The Skyhawks began practicing in earnest after learning they had been selected for the honor. Salistean submitted Schoo’s third straight application for the statewide program earlier this school year, and the group patiently waited to hear what the NMEA would decide. They celebrated after Schoo Principal Allysa Diehl walked into the orchestra practice room and told them they would be traveling to the downtown landmark.
 
“When Ms. Diehl came in and told us the news, we were just so excited,” Karson said. “Everybody was going crazy.”
 
Alicia said the news felt even better because of the friendships she has formed in orchestra. She said it is rewarding to make music with her five fellow cellists and the rest of the group each day.
 
“I really like the community,” Alicia said. “We have lots of fun in that class with Mr. Salistean and all of his jokes. We just love playing together.”

 
The Skyhawks prepared for the acoustics of the high-vaulted Rotunda by playing on Schoo’s stage and in different areas of their practice room. Salistean also chose five songs – “American Horizons,” “Gaelic Trilogy,” “Turning Point,” “Wild West Hoedown” and “Fire in the Bow” – that he felt would work well in the large space. All of those efforts made a difference when their bows settled on their strings for the first time.
 
“It was just so full in the room,” Karson said. “I had no idea how it would sound, and it was just amazing how big it was.”
 
The Skyhawks said they were encouraged to see dozens of parents and well-wishers fill rows of chairs on one side of the Rotunda. They then took photos and exchanged smiles with the orchestra afterwards. Salistean felt that community engagement was a major reason for the group’s success.
 
“We have incredible parents and families up at Schoo Middle School, and we saw that here today,” Salistean said. “It was excellent to see them all.”
 
“It felt really nice that all the parents and all of the other people that came to support us were able to make it,” Alicia said. “They took their time out of their day to come.”
 
Nebraska Senator Beau Ballard, who represents District 21 in Lancaster County, was among those who listened to the performance. Salistean said it was important to reinforce the essential nature of music-based activities outside the front door of the legislative chambers.
 
“Music education is a vital component to education, and it’s nice to bring a spotlight to it right here in the Capitol Rotunda, right by where the legislature meets,” Salistean said.
 
Salistean said one of his primary goals of the trip was to help students realize the value of perseverance, hard work and dedication. Alicia said all of the Skyhawks took those lessons to heart while playing their songs. She said it “kind of gave us chills” to make majestic memories inside the Nebraska Capitol.
 
“It felt really cool to have all this work pay off in a different space,” Alicia said.
 
Visit home.lps.org/music to learn more about the noteworthy lessons LPS students are learning in their music classes each day.
 
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