What are the best Youth Orchestra's in the DMV area?

[Anonymous]

I am looking for a Youth Orchestra for my DD13 and I am wondering what the best youth orchestra in the area would be. I have heard of MCYO but apparently they do not let students play up an orchestra which my DD wants to do. Others I have heard of are DCYO, PVYO, AYPO...

[Anonymous]

What does it mean to play up an orchestra? We liked DCYOP but eventually the Sat morning practices didn't work for my kid so we switched to AYPO. In DCYOP they don't limit age at which you can play in more advanced orchestras.

[Anonymous]

What instrument? And what do you mean by play up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What instrument? And what do you mean by play up?

+1. I don't really understand "playing up" as it pertains to orchestra. MCYO is very competitive and has lots of talented kids. Next most competitive would be PVYO.

[Anonymous]

AYP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am looking for a Youth Orchestra for my DD13 and I am wondering what the best youth orchestra in the area would be. I have heard of MCYO but apparently they do not let students play up an orchestra which my DD wants to do. Others I have heard of are DCYO, PVYO, AYPO...

what do you mean by play-up? play in an orchestra above age-level? why not audition for age-appropriate orchestra? if she is that good, opportunities will present themselves...

[Anonymous]

What is AYPO?

[Anonymous]

MCYO and AYPO are the best in the region, and both are fairly strict about their age groups for orchestra. They will occasionally bend the rules for kids that have been with them for a while, and are very good.

DD has been playing with TCSYO for several years, and they do not limit kids by age. She has often been the youngest kid in the ensemble, and has been playing in their top ensemble since she was a 7th grader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCYO and AYPO are the best in the region, and both are fairly strict about their age groups for orchestra. They will occasionally bend the rules for kids that have been with them for a while, and are very good.

DD has been playing with TCSYO for several years, and they do not limit kids by age. She has often been the youngest kid in the ensemble, and has been playing in their top ensemble since she was a 7th grader.

What makes the other 2 better than TCSYO, and why did you all choose TCSYO anyway?

[Anonymous]

I wanted to add that the deadlines for AYPO and TCSYO are coming up soon. IIRC, registration deadline is May 1st for AY, with video submissions due by May 31st (Junior division has in-person sight reading/excerpts a week later). TCSYO deadlines are May 31st for registration, with in-person auditions for the higher orchestras the week after.

There is basically no overlap between the audition materials for the two, so your child will have a lot of material to prepare in a short amount of time.

[Anonymous]

Realize this is a change of topic but does anyone know of strong / competitive jazz band programs in the DC area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCYO and AYPO are the best in the region, and both are fairly strict about their age groups for orchestra. They will occasionally bend the rules for kids that have been with them for a while, and are very good.

DD has been playing with TCSYO for several years, and they do not limit kids by age. She has often been the youngest kid in the ensemble, and has been playing in their top ensemble since she was a 7th grader.

What makes the other 2 better than TCSYO, and why did you all choose TCSYO anyway?

We live in NoVA and making it to Strathmore on a week night was just not possible, so we decided to go with a NoVA orchestra. DD's best friend has been with AY for years. The younger ensembles just did not sound like a very healthy environment, - young children that are very good but not particularly interested, being pushed by tiger parents - so we chose something that was essentially the opposite. The fact that they do not limit kids by age/grade was also a major plus. This year, she is auditioning for both AY and TCSYO; the senior ensembles are apparently free from this sort of drama and one upsmanship, and she now knows lots of AY kids through school and JDO.

I don't know this first hand obviously, but I am told that the other ensembles have better coaching and performance opportunities than TCSYO. Both are older, better established ensembles, and because they have better reputations, attract a higher caliber of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to add that the deadlines for AYPO and TCSYO are coming up soon. IIRC, registration deadline is May 1st for AY, with video submissions due by May 31st (Junior division has in-person sight reading/excerpts a week later). TCSYO deadlines are May 31st for registration, with in-person auditions for the higher orchestras the week after.

There is basically no overlap between the audition materials for the two, so your child will have a lot of material to prepare in a short amount of time.

TCSYO might let you audition later if you go to their camp. They offered later video auditions to campers last year.

[Anonymous]

DCYOP auditions are Saturday August 17 and Saturday August 24. They do placements based on ability, not age. I find it to be the most nurturing youth orchestra in the area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to add that the deadlines for AYPO and TCSYO are coming up soon. IIRC, registration deadline is May 1st for AY, with video submissions due by May 31st (Junior division has in-person sight reading/excerpts a week later). TCSYO deadlines are May 31st for registration, with in-person auditions for the higher orchestras the week after.

There is basically no overlap between the audition materials for the two, so your child will have a lot of material to prepare in a short amount of time.

TCSYO might let you audition later if you go to their camp. They offered later video auditions to campers last year.

It is usually for the "harder to find" instruments, such as brass and woodwinds, and one-offs like harp. Strings are generally easily filled. That said, if you have an exceptional young musician, they are the most likely to figure out a way to accommodate you, regardless of the instrument.