To prepare for Symphony for a Broken Orchestra, a new composition that debuted at the 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia on Sunday, many of the city’s best professional musicians had to relearn how to play their instruments from scratch. Performing side by side with students, the pros will be playing the disused and discarded instruments — trumpets missing valves, cellos missing strings, clarinets missing mouthpieces — that Philadelphia’s public schools have had to make do with for years.

This rag-tag orchestra is the work of Temple Contemporary, an adjunct of the Tyler School of Art that puts on socially relevant contemporary art projects across the city. The performances on Sunday are only one prong of the program: Temple Contemporary has launched a campaign to rescue every broken-down student instrument in Philadelphia and restore them to their schools.

Read the full article about the orchestra in Philadelphia using broken instruments at The Atlantic.