From the gleaming russet wood of pint-sized instruments, to the shining buckles on children’s dress shoes, to the carefully-practiced notes of the Hallelujah Chorus, Thursday night’s All-Island Winter Strings Concert was full of polish.

About 150 students participate in the strings program each year, learning violin, viola, cello and — in some cases — bass under the instruction of Nancy Jephcote and Chelsea Pennebaker. The music teachers travel to all of the Island schools every week, rehearsing everything from Hot Cross Buns for the younger children to Guantanamera for older students.