As the cello quartet Shades of Red serenades their listeners with an arrangement of a Schubert piece, it’s clear they are not beginners. More impressive than their playing technique however, is their passion for the music, apparent in their body language, bow strokes and the enjoyment that they take in creating it together.

The group often looks up to make eye contact with each other, synchronize their playing throughout the piece. When a mistake is made, they all laugh and make a joke of it – without skipping a beat.

Shades of Red is comprised of Leland Ko, Andrew Laven, Claire Raizen and Zlatomir Fung.

The group was recently featured on “From the Top,” a radio show on NPR dedicated to highlighting talented young musicians. Afterwards, they participated in a leadership class hosted by the the Center for Development of Arts Leaders (CDAL).

“[CDAL] showed us examples of what other kids have been doing, so that gave us ideas, and that was very inspiring. We talked about how we can use our instruments and the fact that we’re musicians to help people in our community,” said Raizen, a 16-year-old member of the quartet from Cambridge.

All four off the musicians looked to each other and recalled the phrase they discussed in their class: “Empower, inspire, change.”

Yun-Jae Lee, a sophomore at Wayland High School, is an intern, along with other high school students, at CDAL.

“We’re there to spread music throughout the country,” said Lee. “We try to bring awareness of how music can connect people, how it can inspire.”

CDAL’s goal is for students to become leaders and to spread their knowledge of music.

Lee’s program is divided into groups of students who help achieve this goal through work with nursing homes, cancer centers and schools. To Lee, it’s important for kids to know that music is not just something to casually pass the time with, it’s something that can be used to build community.

Inspired by CDAL, Shades of Red has given themselves a similar mission. They will play at the Conservatory Lab School, whose principal they were introduced to at their “From the Top” performance.

“They invited the quartet to come,” said Steve Laven, a Wayland composer and the quartet’s coach. To Steve Laven, music leadership is like “spreading the gospel,” and sharing it with younger kids.

Steve Laven, the quartet’s coach and member Andrew Laven’s father has set goals for his students.

“[I want them to gain] a lifelong love of music…Also, discipline that it takes to work toward a goal and finally reach it, the pride that you get from it and maybe applying that to another facet of your life life, whether it be athletics or schoolwork,” said Laven.

The CDAL experience opened the quartet’s eyes to new ways they could spread the love of music – and to ways they were already spreading it. Andrew Laven, a junior at Wayland High School, said that he already teaches younger kids, but has recently given thought to a senior project that involves spreading music.

“Arts leadership is helping kids find the tools they need to succeed in the arts,” agreed all members of the quartet.

“Music teaches the ability to be special,” added Ko, a 13-year-old cellist from Weston.

If it wasn’t obvious that the young musicians loved their instruments when they played the Schubert piece, it was made crystal clear when they played “I Saw Her Standing There,” by the Beatles.

Their showmanship and enthusiasm paralleled the original rock n’ roll foursome themselves. The quartet hopes that their use of different genres, as well as their age, will help them connect to younger students.

“If you’re performing for younger children, it might inspire them more if you’re closer to their age,” said Fung, who at 12 is the youngest member of Shades of Red.

“If you have a good passion, age doesn’t matter,” said Andrew Laven.