FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Art students in Fort Lauderdale got a special visit Monday from world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The visit was part of the Kennedy Center's "Arts Across America" tour.
Students at Walker Elementary School gave Yo-Yo Ma and bagpiper Cristina Pato a warm welcome.
"It was the most amazing warm welcome, really seeing things that we didn't know was happening here and it's been really affirming," Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter said.
Students in Walker Elementary's arts programs entertained their guests in the school’s auditorium and then performed with the professionals.
The time they spent with the children moved the artists.
"The most fascinating thing for us was to watch them perform, to see the energy of the school, how much life and, especially, how much love," Pato said.
"There is so much love in this school. The kindergarten class that I visited and the love from the teacher, from the children, and they're genuinely curious," Ma said.
For the students, the experience was unforgettable.
"I liked his cello," third-grader TaMakyah Ebanks said. "I wondered how he made his different beats with it. It was cool."
"I liked that he was (a) super kind, super nice person and he was really great," fifth-grader Gisela Pinto said.