What would motivate teenagers to get up and practice music at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday? The answer is Lawrence Youth Symphony.

âÂÂMy friends are always there, and we jam during the doughnut break,â said Marla Schleuder, a Free State High School sophomore who plays the violin.

The Lawrence Youth Symphony has existed for 30 years. Lynn Basow has directed the symphony for the past 13 years. Sondra Mosley is helping Basow direct this year. Anyone in seventh through 10th grades who plays an instrument was allowed to join.

Basow said the most challenging aspect of directing the symphony was the Saturday morning practices.

âÂÂPeople are absent a lot,â she said. âÂÂAnd it is hard to ever play with a complete group present.âÂÂ

But Basow sees how opportunities outweigh the early mornings. âÂÂYouth symphony gives junior high students and sophomores the chance to play in a full orchestra that does harder pieces than what they might normally perform,â she said.

The students see the benefit, too: âÂÂIt gives me practice with sight-reading and gives me experience in playing in orchestras,â said Yan Li, a Free State sophomore who plays violin.

Their next concert will be Sunday in the auditorium of Central Junior High School, 1400 Mass. The Freshman Honor Band of CJHS will also be performing as guests of the symphony.

The repertoire of songs will include âÂÂWilliam Tell Overtureâ by Gioacchino Rossini, âÂÂRussian Sailorsâ Danceâ by Reinhold Gliere, âÂÂSlavonic Dance No. 4 (Op. 46)â by Antonin Dvorak, âÂÂWedding Marchâ by Vernon Leidig and finally âÂÂThe Star-Spangled Banner.âÂÂ

âÂÂThe hardest piece we are playing is the Slavonic dance because all of the sections get exposed during the different sections of the piece,â Basow said.

Anthm Duttonhurt, a sophomore at Free State who plays the viola, said his favorite piece is âÂÂâÂÂ’Slavonic Dance.â ItâÂÂs great because itâÂÂs beautiful, complex, intense and moody. Mood swings – theyâÂÂre a good thing.âÂÂ

– Beth Ruhl is a sophomore at Bishop Seabury Academy.