Connecting Student Musicians to our Community

Being a part of a youth orchestra is an amazing personal and academic experience for a music student. Beyond helping students improve as musicians, it helps build meaningful relationships, life-long skills, and a sense of confidence and grit many students need to develop. For students serious about a musical career, it’s often the midpoint for getting into the right conservatory, providing early challenges that advance the student’s skills and sense of music.

This is why it’s so critical that music students in the greater Rockwall area have access to a youth orchestra program that admits every student regardless of financial status or level of skill. Many students in surrounding cities do not have a school orchestra program. Homeschool students need opportunities to play with other musicians and make new friends. Some students, including 40% of GRYS’s currently enrolled students, cannot afford private lessons, an instrument, or even the $250 in tuition for a semester of youth orchestra. GRYS is in a unique position to help these students by providing tuition waivers, instrument donations, and, ultimately, running an exceptional youth orchestra program that benefits every student, and every member of our community.

What makes GRYS’s program unique is that we combine community service with our performance opportunities. Beyond the regular season concert schedule of a traditional youth orchestra, GRYS students play for seniors, veterans, nonprofits, and the community-at-large multiple times a week. GRYS brings music to the community, directly, and in doing so, provides more performance opportunities than students would otherwise have. This accelerates building skills, confidence, and the ability to play with other musicians, all while giving back to our community. GRYS also celebrates all forms of music, including classical, jazz, film and video game music, and original student compositions.

Giving to GRYS means you are giving an amazing, life-changing experience to our students. You could be helping someone find their best friend, start their music career or get into the right college, or change the direction of their life for the better. Your support helps pay for student tuition waivers, instrument and private lesson donations, our concert performance costs, and the ability to expand our program to more students. Thank you for your support.