Reply to Anyone do DC Youth Orchestra and live in upper NW? How's that commute for you?

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Reply to "Anyone do DC Youth Orchestra and live in upper NW? How's that commute for you?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DCYOP has some instruments available, but many kids rent or buy elsewhere. My daughter played violin with DCYOP for 4 years. The move to Eastern HS was a mixed blessing. The facilities are so much nicer than Coolidge, but the commute was much worse for our family. We ended up dropping out, mainly because of the commute and overall time sink. Several of our neighbors in NW stayed in though. If you do join, you may be able to carpool with neighbors. That said, if I had to do it again, I'd start my kid with private lessons and only join DCYOP when she was skilled enough to play in one of the orchestras. In my opinion, that is the coolest thing about DCYOP, and the conductor of the beginning level orchestra, Ms. Cuffy, is simply phenomenal. [/quote]
Aren't private lessons much more expensive?  I've also thought my kids would enjoy starting out with a group. I would think you'd start with a group and if the kid liked it, move on to private later. (I'm another NW parent who's thinking about enrolling my young kids --but dreading the commute.) [/quote]

Yes, it's indeed a lot more affordable. And I think it's also a motivator to learn in a group and to advance from level to level, more so than private lessons would be. Plus, even the youngest ones play in a group from the very outset. So they learn to listen to others, something that's of course designed to prepare them to play in the beginning orchestra, which is really amazing. What one does have to consider is that the violin groups are really big. If you can get your child to pick the viola, it's more personal. Same goes for starting a little later for an instrument like the cello or a lot of the wind instruments. Ages and programs are listed here: http://www.dcyop.org/program.jsp

Yes, you can sit in. Currently, DCYOP is not in session though. If you want to try it out before enrolling, the summer program is a good idea. But there is also a regular "instrument zoo" and showcasing day in the fall, just about when school starts. So you can attend that and look around some model classes to make up your mind.[/quote]

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