Registration
Open to All
If you are a young musician in grades 1-12 looking for a string orchestra experience, come visit us to see what we are all about.
YPCO meets every Saturday from 10:00 am to 11:30. As a teaching orchestra, we focus on developing our members’ musical skills and abilities to work as a team in a warm and welcoming, non-competitive string orchestra. All levels of musicianship coexist within YPCO, from beginner to virtuoso. Our young musicians are provided the support and creative space they need to shine. Mentorship and solo opportunities are also available, providing appropriate challenges and room to grow such that every student's love of music is allowed to flourish. The warm environment, personalized musical scores, challenging repertoire, and opportunities for solos and personalized feedback all contribute to individual growth and achievement. These elements allow the orchestra to perform at a level that exceeds the sum of its parts, fostering a love of playing both individually and together. YPCO provides student musicians a high caliber experience, under expert leadership, in an intimate and comfortable setting.
Rehearsal Visit
YPCO is a teaching orchestra and does not engage in an intense audition process. We encourage young musicians to visit a rehearsal and join with us to see if YPCO is a fit for them. After the orchestra visit, if the musician thinks that YPCO is a good match, then we encourage them to register and join us.
Try us once, join us for the season.
We host informal rehearsal visits throughout the year. For further information or to arrange for a visit, please email our manager@ypco.org or request a rehearsal visit.
COVID Guidelines
We will be following the guidelines set out by the City of Berkeley, and St. John’s. Our policy is as follows:
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Masks are now optional, however, they are still strongly recommended.
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Musicians should say home if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms.
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We will have a Zoom session available for those who need/want to stay home.
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Parents are welcome to watch rehearsal from inside.
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Doors will remain open to improve ventilation.
Rehearsal & Concert Schedule
Tuition & Tuition Assistance
All students and coaches must be registered through the YPCO online registration system. Tuition may be paid in full or in automatic payments with a deposit. Registration is a commitment to pay the full tuition amount. Enrolling in the payment plan is not a pay-as-you-go situation. Families are responsible for the entire tuition even if the musician decides not to finish the season.
There is a limited scholarship fund for assistance to families with an annual income below $105,000. To be eligible, families must submit a letter of request and recent tax forms, W2’s and/or 1099’s to manager@ypco.org. If the board approves your family request for assistance, the orchestra manager will give you a coupon code to use when you are registering online. You may choose to pay the remainder in a single payment or automatic payments with a deposit. If you are divorced, separated, or have never been married, the other legal parent/guardian of your child must also provide the above documents. Our policy is to encourage all legal parents’/guardians’ involvement in funding their child’s education. If the other legal parent/guardian is unavailable or unwilling to participate in providing all necessary information, we will not be able to reduce their half of the tuition amount. We also offer a sibling discount that is automatically applied in our registration system.
In no case will tuition be refunded. We realize that there are many serious circumstances, such as family illness or transfers out of state that may prevent a child from completing the year. However, as a small non-profit organization, we are unable to continue to operate without a stable financial base.
