State College Area High School will strive for education this weekend, except audiences will learn from the Nittany Valley Symphony instead of algebra and chemistry teachers.

The Nittany Valley Symphony (NVS), a community orchestra, will perform The Melodic Life: A Concert for the Whole Family at 3 p.m. Saturday at the high school.

Roberta Strebel, executive director of NVS, said anyone can audition for the ensemble, which dates back to 1967.

"We welcome all walks of life -- students, teachers, retired. In a concert last year we had age ranges from a 14-year-old horn player to a 91-year-old cello player. So we have a nice age range," Strebel said.

The concert is family friendly and is geared toward introducing symphonic music to younger audiences and features variations from a number of composers that are compiled together in the piece, written by contemporary composer Gregory Smith.

"The Melodic Life is a family concert that explores how pitch and rhythm come together as melody, and how melodies can be transformed through variation," Michael Jinbo, music director of NVS, said.

Jinbo said NVS is unique because the group of musicians performing is so diverse.

"The particular combination of avid amateurs and professionals in our symphony results in an enthusiastic group with a variety of talents. Our symphony members are very dedicated and work hard to present fine programs each season," he said.

Strebel said the concert is much more casual than the other concerts NVS usually performs throughout the year.

"We perform four concerts and a musical at Eisenhower Auditorium. Our family concert is at the high school and is much more casual. The other concerts are usually on a weeknight but this one is on Saturday afternoon," she said. "It will be a great family activity."

Jinbo said there is always a challenge facing the orchestra, even if it's not the difficulty level of the music.

"While the music for this program is not nearly as difficult as others we've performed, most of the selections are new to the orchestra, including one work that was only written in the last year -- Smith's The Melodic Life," he said.

Jinbo said the biggest challenge he has faced as a conductor is getting to the well-established position he is in today.

"The greatest challenge facing any conductor is to persevere in a very competitive career," he said. "It takes years for conductors to establish themselves, and many are forced to give up before they achieve any success. A conductor's education is lifelong."

Jinbo said he encourages students to come to the concert because it is a great opportunity for them to be introduced to symphonic music.

"The selections are light and engaging, but along the way, everyone will learn something about the elements of music," he said. "The program is designed to be accessible to anyone, even those who haven't listened to much classical music."