SPRINGFIELD – The travelers who were waiting for a bus in Union Station got an unexpected treat on Nov. 30 – an impromptu concert by the High School of Commerce jazz band.

The concert is the first of a series of five pop-up performances that is made possible through a grant by the MassMutual Foundation.

The collaboration between the Community Music School of Springfield (CMSS) and the Springfield Public Schools is called Sonido Musica and Eileen McCaffery, executive director of CMSS, said the Creative Placemaking Concert Series is intended to “break barriers” by brining performances by young musicians into unexpected venues.

“It creates a sense of vibrancy,” she said.

The series of five concerts show the city is not only pushing the importance of the arts, McCaffery said, but also demonstrates to the student musicians how much the city values them.

Sonido Musica was launched five years ago at three pilot Springfield schools and has expanded to serve 17 Springfield elementary, middle and high schools. CMSS' success with Sonido Musica was recently recognized with the prestigious Gustavo Dudamel Foundation Award, one of only 15 awardees in the country. In 2015, Sonido Musica received the Yale University’s Distinguished Music Education Award.