"She is the inspiration and the disciplinarian for much of Matt's successes thus far. When they get together to talk music, all I can do is skulk away, because I can't understand them."

Inside a small, high-ceilinged room three 16-year-olds recently labored over the "Kegelstatt Trio" by Mozart. Matthew played clarinet, while Baltimore County residents Yvonne Smith of Parkville played the viola, and Patrick Merrill of Kingsville was at the piano.

A cloud of excitement is wrapped around the Skittles Alley Trio. The three are spending extra hours each school day and on weekends rehearsing to perform in the Junior Division of the 35th annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Ind., the weekend of May 9.

In chamber music circles, it is comparable to being nominated for an Oscar.

"One thing I enjoy about playing is I'm playing with phenomenal people," Matthew said. "These two are the most talented kids in school.

The trio is exceptional for several reasons, said Alice Shumway-Young, who is Skittles Alley coach and instructor.

"Individually, they have an above-average ability on their instruments, allowing them to come together and work as a group at a very high level of accomplishment. Musically, they are very creative and resourceful," she said.

They work extremely hard, logging many more hours of practice than the four hours that is in their weekly schedule at Baltimore School for the Arts, she said. "Many people don't realize how much work it takes to create this kind of end product.

"They live, eat and breathe the musical experience" she said. "They are the nicest kids, easy going people who genuinely enjoy each other's company.

The Fischoff Competition was founded in 1973 to encourage young artists to pursue chamber music study and performance. Since its inception, the competition has grown and now attracts talents from 22 countries.

The only national chamber music competition with both senior and junior divisions, for artists 18 and younger, it is also the largest of its kind.

During the event, the junior artists receive written comments and personal critiques from the jurors to help improve their work and they are able to take master classes given by top chamber music artists.

The Skittles Alley Trio will perform several complex pieces of chamber music in the competition.

Baltimore School for the Arts is a public high school, founded in 1973. It is a college preparatory school for teens devoted to music, dance or visual arts. Its 323 students are drawn from Baltimore and surrounding counties, including Anne Arundel. Each year more than 1,000 teens audition for the 100 available spots.

Andrew's mother, Wendy Dykeman, is a well-known voice and piano teacher. His father is a former news reporter and paralegal who has been freelancing as a writer and is working on his first novel, due out in the fall.

Mrs. Dykeman began teaching her son piano at age 5. "When I was 9, mom asked me what other instrument did I want to play," Andrew said. "She wanted me to play the trombone but I saw a clarinet and wanted that."

In addition to the Skittles Alley Trio and private lessons, Matthew is also a member of the school orchestra, wind ensemble and clarinet ensemble.

Last year, he was the principal clarinetist in the Maryland Senior All-State Band. The past two summers, he's attended the Lutheran Summer Music Academy in Minnesota on a full scholarship.

"Clarinet is what I do when I come home. I also play jazz piano to relieve the stresses of the day. It gets my head off of stuff that just happened in school," he said. "Sometimes I have difficulty verbalizing my feelings. In a concert setting, I can focus all my emotional energy through the clarinet. It's euphoric, in a sense.".

To get to school, he carpools with friends to the Cromwell Light Rail Station. They hop a train that runs near the school and reverse the process in the late afternoon. They are on the road by 6 a.m. and rarely get home until 12 hours later.

"We rehearse here at school or someone's house five to seven hours a week," said Yvonne.

"The trio is a combination of ideas and discussion," said Patrick.

"We're trying out different ideas," Yvonne said. "We're working together and forming a bond."

As for the group's name, "We're not named after the candy," said Matthew. "Skittles, or kegelstatt, is a form of bowling in Germany. Legend has it that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed the Kegelstatt Trio in between rounds of bowling."