Students at Laguna Middle School trying instruments from the SLO Symphony Music Van.
From the heavy thrum of a double bass to the bright blast of a saxophone, local classrooms transformed into vibrant, acoustic playgrounds this spring. Through a series of dynamic arts outreach events coordinated by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (SLOCOE), legendary Central Coast musicians, Grammy nominees, and symphonic players stepped into local schools to bridge generations, spark creativity, and share their lifelong passion for music.
Here is a look back at how local artists connected with students from San Miguel to San Luis Obispo, proving that music education is a team sport.
Finding “The Playground” in San Miguel
In late February, the 3D Trio brought the rich, complex world of jazz to Lillian Larsen Elementary School in San Miguel. Drummer Darrell Voss, saxophonist Dave Becker, and Ken Hustad—the San Luis Obispo Symphony’s Principal Bassist—gave students an intimate, live look at how acoustic instruments interact in a raw, acoustic environment.
A central lesson for the young audience was the magic of jazz improvisation. Voss explained how the trio establishes a melody first, then opens the floor to reinventing it on the fly.
Because the trio notably lacks a chordal instrument like a piano or a guitar, Becker noted that the music becomes vastly more exploratory. “When the chord changes are not there to support you, it frees you up,” Becker said.
Hustad offered the students a memorable analogy for how musicians conceptualize this freedom:
“Once we present the song, when we go back and improvise over it, it’s like a playground. You have this structure—you’ve got the playground fence, and you can have a lot of freedom within the fence.”
The 3D Trio preforming for students at Lillian Larsen Elementary School.
The “Music Van” and Full-Circle Moments at Laguna Middle School
Earlier in the spring, the SLO Symphony’s “Music Van” rolled up to Laguna Middle School, offering an interactive “instrument petting zoo” led by violinist Hannah Thompson. For Thompson, who grew up navigating the county’s youth symphony programs before joining the professional ranks of the SLO Symphony alongside her former teachers, the event was a poignant, full-circle milestone.
Thompson used the interactive format to show students that music is inherently collaborative. “Playing music in a group… is kind of like a team sport,” Thompson shared. “A lot of responding to what’s going on around you and even being polite in some sense.”
The magic of the petting zoo happens when a student feels stuck, like struggling to squeeze a note out of a French horn. Thompson recalls telling a student, “Follow what I’m doing. You buzz your lips,” and witnessing the sudden wave of encouragement when they finally make a sound. “The structure of ‘sit here, play these notes’ is somehow very conducive to deep friendships,” she added.
Drawing Animal Songs and Swapping Stories at Del Mar Elementary
In April, Del Mar Elementary welcomed Central Coast music icon Louie Ortega. Known for his 18-year tenure as the principal guitar player for the Grammy-winning Texas Tornados and his early days fronting Louie and the Lovers, Ortega brought a lifetime of touring history—spanning nearly every U.S. state, Europe, and Japan—straight to the school’s assembly.
Sporting his signature look of a ponytail, a summer hat, and sunglasses (which he joked he originally wore to block bright stage lights so he could see his guitar chords), Ortega completely enchanted the young crowd with just his voice and a custom-made luthier guitar built from California redwood.
Ortega shared a funny piece of advice about finding his footing with young audiences, tracing back to a time years ago when he volunteered for his daughters’ kindergarten class in Nipomo.
“I got there and I realized all the songs I knew were bar songs,” Ortega laughed. Pivoting quickly, he wrote the children’s favorite animals on the chalkboard and played “Old MacDonald” for 40 straight minutes.
Now an expert at navigating school assemblies, Ortega views these outreaches as deeply moving exchanges. “It really is a sincere connection and intimacy,” Ortega said. “I was able to share part of my world with them and they’re sharing part of their world with me and it’s energizing… everybody wins.”
Michael Ragonese leading a class at San Luis Obispo High School.
Cultivating the Next Generation at SLO High School
The outreach program also pushed into higher grade levels to fuel advanced, professional ambitions. At San Luis Obispo High School, jazz musician Michael Ragonese led an intensive masterclass in partnership with the Libretto Conservatory—a music school extension of the premier jazz club, Libretto, located in Paso Robles.
Ragonese, who also runs a music school in Los Angeles, partnered with Libretto’s owner, Corey, to give high schoolers free access to world-class coaching, Grammy-winning guest clinicians, and technical instruction on rhythm, feel, and music theory.
“One of my favorite things to do is to come up here and teach that passion to these students that have such a strong hunger,” Ragonese said, noting his dream to expand the conservatory into up to ten student bands. “As so many people that play at Libretto are professionals… we want to pass it on to the younger generation.”
The impact on the high schoolers was clear. Maxwell Toohey-Bergvall, a drummer at SLO High, described the program as an absolute blessing. “It’s really been life-changing for the way that I play music,” Toohey-Bergvall said. “The help specifically from great teachers like Mike is just something unbelievable.”
The Takeaway
Whether introducing a child to their very first instrument or helping an advanced high schooler fine-tune their jazz comping, SLOCOE’s spring arts outreach programs successfully brought the county together through rhythm and sound. As Louie Ortega reminded the students before leaving the stage: “If you really believe in what you’re doing, then you have to go with the calling… it’ll take you to where you’re supposed to be.”
