Updated
San Diego, CA
The San Diego Symphony uses Sound and Silence to teach elementary school students about music
There is a special San Diego Symphony concert coming to the Rady Shell next month.
It will include two performances by professional musicians, with some help from hundreds of elementary school students.
The students in grades three through five are currently in the middle of a nine-week curriculum that features animated characters named “Sound” and “Silence.”
“Sound and Silence are these two (animated) characters who meet in their (musical) universe,” said Stephan Salts, the San Diego Symphony’s Director of Learning and Leadership.
“Sound is really energetic. He can sing high-pitches and low-pitches. He can play music with a really fast or slow tempo. And, Silence’s character is kind of shocked by all this new knowledge,” Salts said.
Two-hundred fifteen students at Sandburg Elementary in Mira Mesa are learning from Sound and Silence lessons. The curriculum also includes interactive videos with symphony musicians. On a recent visit, the woodwind quintet performed live in the school’s multi-purpose room.
Max Opferkuch played the clarinet, an instrument he admitted he stumbled on.
“I thought it looked cool, and I was able to get a sound out of it right away. That is not the case for most of the other instruments,” Opferkuch said.
The quintet’s instruments also include the bassoon, horn, flute, and oboe.
The musicians played for students and answered questions that included everything from how many years it takes to master an instrument to what they can expect to make in an annual salary as a professional.
Opferkuch said, “It’s little opportunities like this that might seem like not much, but they do plant a seed in the kids’ heads.”
The in-person concert at Sandburg Elementary supplements the online curriculum that culminates with a concert at the Rady Shell on April 19.
More than 5,000 students from schools around the county are registered for two performances that day, to join the Symphony using their new knowledge — and their bodies as percussion instruments.
Stephan Salts said it is the ultimate in interactive learning.
“They are learning this whole pattern of claps, snaps, and drum rolls on the lap. (The student participation) occurs on a very rhythmic piece that the symphony will open with.”
The collaboration of the Sound and Silence lesson plans with professional musicians online and in-person helps teach students about music concepts like pitch, melody, and tempo.
“I learned that the tempo can be fast, like really fast,” said Dexter Dang, 9, a Sandburg fourth-grade student who’s already played some piano. But it’s the cello he’s working with now. He said Sound and Silence have inspired him to keep on learning.
“I want to try out other instruments and then maybe go back to the cello or stay with whatever I (decide) I like,” he said.
His classmate Aziza DeNevares, 10, is more certain about her future in music. She’s tried the flute, but her creative heart is elsewhere.
“My big passion is guitar. I love it. So, I want to be a guitarist when I grow up,” she said.
Riza Eusebio teaches a class of 29 fourth-graders who will perform at the Rady Shell. Besides the required instruction of core subjects, she makes time on Fridays for independent creativity time. That includes time to practice an instrument.
“It’s important for them to know the creative arts is a profession and it’s definitely something to consider,” Eusebio said.
The Sound and Silence program is for students at any level of familiarity with music.
Salts said, “(the program works) if they already play an instrument at their school or even if their school (doesn’t have) a music program at all or if this is just brand new to them for them. Maybe they’ve never even heard a recording of a symphony orchestra before.”
“It’s important for them to know the creative arts is a profession and it’s definitely something (for students) to consider.”
Riza Eusebio, 4th grade teacher at Sandburg Elementary School
The San Diego Symphony’s first morning performance on Friday, April 19 at The Rady Shell is at capacity. However, there are still seats for more students and educators to attend the performance at noon.
Students should be in grades three, four and five, and educators can register to attend using the “Register Now” button.
San Diego Symphony school programs are free for all participants. Transportation is not included.
San Diego, CA
Where to watch San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 16
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Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.
We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Saturday as the San Diego Padres visit the Seattle Mariners.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners?
First pitch between the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 16.
How to watch San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners on Saturday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 6:32 a.m.
- Matchup: SD at SEA
- Date: Saturday, May 16
- Time: 7:15 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: T-Mobile Park
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for May 16 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
Top military leaders are warning members of Congress that the cost of ongoing military operations in the Middle East, along with other recent efforts, including in counternarcotics, could soon force difficult decisions on training and overall readiness.
During a congressional subcommittee budget hearing this week, lawmakers questioned how long the Navy and Marine Corps can sustain its current level of operations with a historic amount of warships in the Middle East.
Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ken Calvert asked Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle how long the Navy could continue operating at its current pace before funding runs short.
“Sir, I will have to start making decisions to change training, operations, certifications events, those types of things we do to generate our force, in the July time frame in the current expenditure,” Caudle said.
The warning comes as Calvert outlined that the Navy is making a $377.5 billion budget request, a 23% increase over the previous fiscal year.
Calvert noted the financial impact the war against Iran has had and said, “Our munitions stockpiles are depleted, our fleet has deferred maintenance — critical maintenance — and our service members have been operating on an extended deployment schedule.”
Rep. Betty McCollum also warned that rising fuel costs tied to the conflict could further strain military operations.
“In addition to the threats our sailors and Marines face, I’m concerned about the broader costs of the war,” McCollum said. “The skyrocketing costs of fuel will limit the Navy and the Marine Corps ability to conduct exercises for the rest of the year.”
Potential reductions in training and certification efforts could have a significant impact in San Diego, home to more than 136,000 active-duty service members, including roughly a fourth of all Marines and a sixth of all Navy sailors, according to the San Diego Military Advisory Council.
Lawmakers also raised concerns about the growing size of China’s naval fleet compared with the United States’.
“Despite our focus on the Middle East and elsewhere across the globe, China still remains our pacing threat,” Calvert added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently testified that the war effort in Iran has carried a nearly $30 billion price tag. The Defense Department is now facing pressure to replenish munitions stockpiles, improve shipbuilding capabilities and maintain readiness for future threats while continuing current operations.
The Department of Defense’s proposed budget for the upcoming year totals $1.5 trillion, the largest defense proposal in U.S. history.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.
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