Education Matters: Sarasota Youth Orchestra & Education Programming

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Regarded as one of the finest youth orchestras in the Southeast, the Sarasota Youth Orchestras (SYO) continues to get area students from third grade to high school interested in classical and symphonic music. The 30-week season that essentially runs right along the academic school year (September through April) is an opportunity for students to expand music skills they already have and learn more about what it takes to be an audience member and a musician. They also learn a thing or two about working in a group while having fun.

At the moment, the seven different ensembles (four string orchestras, one wind band, and two full orchestras) have about 350 participants, though the feeder program—the summer music camp—might bring in even more. The summer music camp can accommodate anyone, from absolute beginners to well-seasoned performers. Director of Education Alyson Rozier says that about 50% of brand-new kids who take the summer music camp immediately audition to join the SYO, and another 25% will audition to join the following year. So all told, that’s about 75% who want to be part of the SYO within the first two years alone. Those numbers are quite impressive.

One reason for that kind of success is because it’s affordable. People have the misconception that music education has to be expensive. But the entire 30-week season? Only $330. Not $330 per month, but $330 for the entire year. And that includes sectional lessons as well as classes in music theory and general music education. Plus, nearly 60% of students are on some level of scholarship. Rozier explains that the goal is to never turn away a student with an interest in participating, and thanks to generous donor support, that wish is a reality. All are welcome.

Another reason for that kind of success is that kids who like music tend to love it. I mean LOVE IT. I’ve got two daughters (ages 11 and 14), and they’re both going to be participating in the summer music camp this year. It’s one of the can’t-miss things of summer for them. “The sectional instructors are terrific,” says Valerie, my oldest. “They really know how to make things fun while teaching you things that matter.” They’d both like to join the SYO too, but they haven’t yet found the balance between school and studies and having a life yet. Maybe next year? They hope.

“They really know how to make things fun while teaching you things that matter.” – Valerie Van Cleave

But even if my kids skip the SYO and simply play in their schools’ bands, they still reap the benefits. How? The SYO students go back to their own school music programs during the year and share what they’ve learned with others. Rozier adds that “everything we do here is to make them better players and help make their school music programs stronger. If a school music program needs a sectional coach, we’ll send one out at no cost. If their students require a specialized workshop, we’ll create that. If they need us to come out more than once, we will.” The upshot is this: if school music programs are stronger, the SYO is stronger too.

It’s not just my kids who are loving the chance to make music. Cypress Potter, a long-time SYO participant and principal second violinist of the Youth Philharmonic (the top group), says that playing music “means that you have a chance to tell the story that the composer developed years ago. More than that, you now have the privilege of retelling it in your own words, relating to it in your own way, and adding your own thoughts and emotions to the piece.” 

Kaili Gruwell, an oboe player and SYO member, explains that for her, “music is a way I can express and better myself. I have been playing music for 12 years and it has helped me grow as an individual. I have received many difficult pieces throughout my five years in the SYO program; by putting effort into practicing and performing, I have bettered myself as a musician, which is an awesome feeling. Furthermore, I am not the most social person. However, music has led me to meet lifelong friends, through music programs at school and the Sarasota Youth Orchestra.”

Her favorite SYO memory? “The ending of the showcase concert last year. I felt so happy with what we performed on stage. Before the concert, I was still on the fence about majoring in music in college. However, that feeling I got while the crowd was applauding encouraged me to continue. Next year, I am excited to attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando and double major in music and engineering. Not attending rehearsals on Mondays [when the SYO groups meet] will be sad, but I know the program will continue to grow and inspire young musicians, just like it did for me.”

Like Gruwell, a few SYO alumni will choose to pursue music performance in college, and a larger number will go into music education, but just as many will study to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or other occupation. Regardless of what major they have, 95% or more still play music in college. And quite a few get scholarship money that way.

Rozier explains that “it’s far more important for them to develop a love and appreciation for music than to become professional musicians. As future concert goers, as future parents, they’ll encourage a love for music in the next generation. That’s crucial.” 

Rozier’s probably right. My mom played music, and it’s no surprise that my brother and I did too, from piano lessons in our youth, to high school band and rock bands in our teens, to my college years playing trumpet in marching band, to my on-and-off again music recording efforts, and my brother’s 20+ year career as a bass player in Chicago area bands. And now my daughters both have the bug (as do my brother’s kids, I hear!).

Music matters. It reaches into our lives and powerfully affects us. It can sharpen our thoughts. It can change our mood. It can transform our world and help us relive the past or imagine a new future. 

Thanks to the SYO, more and more families are positively impacted by the power of music, too.

For more information about the Sarasota Youth Orchestra or the Sarasota Orchestra’s Education programming, please visit www.sarasotaorchestra.org or call 941.953.3434

Ryan G. Van Cleave is the author of 20 books, and he runs the creative writing program at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.

Web: ryangvancleave.com