Thirteen musicians, led by conductor Ingrid Martin, performed music from the opera Carmen by Bizet, Montagues and Capulets from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, some orchestral works by Gershwin, Mozart's variations of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and finished with Trepak from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.

Year 9 student Oliver Baitch, 14, who plays the trumpet in the Scots School symphony orchestra, was delighted there were brass instruments featured in the performances.

"I just loved listening to the orchestra," he said.

"I thought it was amazing they could come down, and we can watch them.

"I learnt a little bit about the way how the orchestra ... works together and a little bit about the structure of the orchestra."

Grade 6 student Saraya Essop, 12, plays the piano and clarinet, and also sings.

She enjoyed learning about each of the instruments and the dynamics they could produce.

"I knew there was soft and loud, but I didn't know what it was called," she said.

Conductor Ingrid Martin said she hoped the children would find a connection to an instrument or sound.

"It's a really great opportunity for the kids to get up close and personal with the instruments," she said.

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Martin said by pulling apart the different elements of an orchestra, the students could have a deeper understanding when listening to different types of music.

"Music has changed so much; everyone's listening to their phone, they're listening to movie soundtracks, or they might be gaming and there's music there," she said.

"It's really about getting the students to see these are real humans playing this music."

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