DC YOUTH ORCHESTRA PROGRAM
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Mission Statement
The mission of the DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) is 'music for young people; achievement for life.' Our goals are to 1) provide quality music instruction and performance opportunities for young people across the DC metropolitan area’s full diversity, 2) develop a Youth Orchestra capable of competing successfully at the national and international levels, and 3) instill in our students the discipline and focus necessary to succeed academically as well as musically.
About This Cause
Founded in 1960 at the request of the DC Public Schools, DCYOP has been an integral part of the Washington, DC community fostering the musical development of more than 50,000 youth. The first youth orchestra to perform at the Kennedy Center, DCYOP has toured 23 countries, played for US presidents and diplomats, and worked with esteemed musicians such as Aaron Copland, Lorin Maazel, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yo-Yo Ma. The program has received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award (formerly Coming Up Taller) and the Mayor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Arts Education. In recent years, the Catalogue for Philanthropy selected DCYOP as "one of the best small non-profits in the Greater Washington region" (2016-2017). As the leading ensemble-based classical music education program in the Washington, DC region, DCYOP offers group lessons and ensemble training on all orchestral instruments for students ages 4 ½ to 18. More than 600 students participate in group classes, ensemble rehearsals, and performances each semester through DCYOP’s main-site programming at Takoma Education Campus as well as DCYOP’s school partnerships. All concerts are free and open to the public. With strong financial and public school access barriers, DCYOP is the only preK-12 program that seeks to make high quality ensemble music education available to all students in the DC metropolitan area, regardless of background, socioeconomic status, or ability. Our students currently represent more than 200 public, public charter, and private schools as well as a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. At DCYOP, the orchestra serves as a model for community. An atmosphere of competition is replaced by a shared endeavor for musical excellence. Through the ensemble, our young musicians develop the character of respectful team players. And, finally, through the study of a musical instrument and classical music, our students develop the confidence and creativity that empowers them to tackle life’s challenges. Alumnus Baratunde Thurston, an Emmy-winning writer, activist, and comedian says: "The idea of a group of mostly black and brown kids gathering to play Beethoven in the Kennedy Center was actually not mind-blowing at all. It was normal. It was real. It was my childhood. And the fact that it felt so normal is due to the incredible work of the DC Youth Orchestra Program. I learned about collaboration, discipline, and the beauty that can only come from a group of people working in concert together."