Walk into a Mercer Island orchestra rehearsal and you'll hear much more than scales and classical music. You might find students improvising alongside professional musicians, collaborating with a mariachi ensemble, learning from a Mongolian string group, or performing with artists representing cultures from around the world.

That's exactly how Mercer Island Orchestra Director Sarah Hart believes music education should look.

"I love the creativity," Sarah says. "Our administrators trust us to think outside the box, and that has allowed us to create experiences our students will remember long after they leave school."

Originally from Ponca City, Oklahoma, Sarah discovered her own love of music in fifth grade when she joined her school's orchestra program. That experience sparked a lifelong passion that led her to study music education at the University of North Texas before beginning her teaching career in Texas.

After several years in the classroom, Sarah stepped away from orchestra education and pursued a master's degree from Texas A&M University. She later taught English in Houston before taking nearly a decade away from teaching to raise her children. During that time, she also worked for Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, leading communications, fundraising, event planning, and community outreach.

When life brought her to Washington in 2016, she realized something was missing.

"I missed teaching," she says.

Sarah joined the Mercer Island School District in 2018 as a part-time orchestra teacher, overseeing just two classes. Since then, through recruiting, grant writing, community partnerships, booster support, and an incredible amount of dedication, she has helped transform the district's orchestra program into one of the largest and most vibrant in the region.

Today, she works alongside fellow orchestra director Bryan Kolk, and together they guide students from their first days of learning an instrument through high school, creating a program that values curiosity, creativity, and community just as much as musical excellence.

The results speak for themselves.

When Sarah arrived, the district's orchestra program represented the equivalent of just 1.4 teaching positions. Beginning this school year, that number has grown to 2.4 teaching positions serving students across six schools—four elementary schools, Islander Middle School, and Mercer Island High School.

More than 400 students are expected to participate in orchestra next year, with roughly one-third of all fifth graders choosing to pick up a string instrument for the very first time.

One of the things that makes the Mercer Island program unique is that everyone is welcome.

"There are no auditions," Sarah explains. "Students can join as complete beginners. Their very first lesson is learning how to open the instrument case."

Students who discover orchestra later aren't left behind, either. Through peer mentoring and a strong coaching model, they receive the support they need to quickly feel like part of the ensemble.

That welcoming environment has become one of the program's greatest strengths.

"Students love the sense of community," Sarah says. "They love hearing how much they improve throughout the year, and they enjoy all of the fun experiences we get to share together."

Those experiences often look very different from the orchestra classes many parents remember growing up.

Rather than focusing exclusively on traditional repertoire, Mercer Island students regularly collaborate with professional musicians and cultural organizations from across the region. Recent projects have included performances with the Seattle Rock Orchestra, Orquesta Northwest's mariachi musicians, the Indian Performing Arts Project Seattle, Muckleshoot tribal drummers, Zje, a Mongolian string ensemble, and collaborative composer Adrian Gordon. Students have even explored improvisation in every concert—something rarely found in school orchestra programs.

For Sarah, those creative partnerships are just as meaningful as the concerts themselves.

"I love the kids and the incredible support from our community," she says. "Every year we get to dream up new projects that connect students with music in ways they never expected."

Whether a student dreams of performing professionally or simply wants to try something new, Sarah and Bryan believe orchestra offers something much bigger than learning to play an instrument.

It's a place where students build confidence, discover creativity, form lasting friendships, and experience the joy of belonging to something larger than themselves.

Families interested in seeing the program in action are encouraged to attend one of the district's concerts throughout the school year or visit the Mercer Island Orchestra Boosters website to hear recordings, watch performances, and learn more about the program.

After all, on Mercer Island, orchestra isn't just about learning music—it's about building a community, one student at a time.