Programs | Tooelevalleyyouthsym

WELCOME!

Welcome to the TVYS family! Our rehearsals are hosted at Excelsior Academy in Erda, Ut. We support several different levels of ensembles and are able to place most students in a performing group that meets the student at their challenge level. TVYS ensembles are divided by ability, not age, although we do require that students be going into 8th-12th grade for our full symphonic group.

School ensembles come first! We encourage all students to participate in their school ensembles and ask that all participants practice at home and work with a private teacher. Any absence related to participating in school ensembles is excused including missing TVYS concerts for your school ensembles.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Auditions for the 2024-25 season are now open! With our convenient recorded auditions, your cell phone recording of a recent recital or solo performance may be all the audition you need. We ask for roughly three minutes of solo playing that demonstrate the strengths of the player, memorization is preferred, accompaniment is optional. Also submit the student playing a scale of their choosing. The scale should highlight a student's mastery of range and tone. Play the maximum number of octaves possible with a good tone. The scale and solo can be in separate videos or together. Percussionists must show proficiency on timpani and mallet instruments.The preferred method is to upload your cell phone video to YouTube, Google Drive, iPhotos, Dropbox or other file sharing format accessible via a link. Copy those links into the appropriate field on the audition form. You should receive a confirmation email upon submission and expect to hear from us soon regarding placement. Please verify that your video link is accessible for others to view (not private). Questions? Contact us at audition@tooelevalleyyouthsymphony.org

SUBMIT AUDITION ONLINE

RETURNING STUDENTS

Returning TVYS students who have not enrolled by September 1st may forfeit their seat to new applicants. Seating is limited in all of our ensembles. We want to hear an audition from all our students so we can determine what music to program for the year. However, those enrolling in our TVYS junior strings and TVYS junior winds as beginners do not need to audition.

NEW STUDENTS

Each year there are usually openings in each of our seven ensembles. New students or students returning after a year or more away, should send in a recorded audition at their earliest convenience to be considered for next season. Priority auditions for the new students wishing to join the 2024-25 season open on August 1st and will remain open through September 1st or until all open seats are filled. If the initial recorded audition does not yield the desired result, students may submit additional auditions for the desired ensemble. Once a student enrolls in an ensemble their placement is considered final for that season. Our three preparatory levels (Strings Orchestra, TVYS Junior Winds and TVYS Junior Strings) do NOT require an audition so can be registered for directly through our website.

PLACEMENT

Following the audition, most applicants receive an email admitting them to one of our ensembles and the corresponding summer music festival placement where applicable. Questions about what level is right for you can be answered by the detailed ensemble descriptions on our PROGRAMS page. We try to avoid dividing ensembles by Suzuki book or ASTA levels and instead look to universal measures like vibrato, shifting, and the ability to play in difficult key signatures. When choosing an audition solo take these factors into account. For example a string player applying to TVYS Strings Orchestra needs to be able to play extensions but shifting is optional; Chamber – first through fifth positions and fluent vibrato, Symphonic – shifting into upper positions and difficult key signatures; Try to choose a solo and scale that fully demonstrates your current level of mastery across the full range of the instrument.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do returning students have to audition? Yes! We appreciate the opportunity to reflect on their progress and plan for how to help them reach their next challenge level.

What does “Priority Seating” mean? Returning students who send in their auditions by the deadline are considered for advancement before auditions are considered from applicants new to the Program. For example, if only 2 cellos are graduating from the ensemble that the existing participant wishes to join, then it is very likely those two open seats will be filled by students auditioning internally before applicants who are new to the program are considered.

When will we hear back about our audition placement? Students who submit their audition by September 1st will be notified prior to the first rehearsal of the year. Auditions are accepted until ensembles are filled. If you have auditioned and are awaiting a reply, do not hesitate to contact us at audition@tooelevalleyyouthsymphony.org

Is my audition result final? The advantage to auditioning early is that if you don’t like the audition result you have time to submit another audition. Upon request we can provide you with feedback that can help your subsequent auditions meet the performance standard of the ensemble you aspire to join. Just ask, we’re here to help you love music more!

What solo should I play? The most advanced, classical solo you can play well. In addition to overall fluency on the instrument, we are looking for specific things like vibrato, shifting, and key signatures. Fiddle tunes or hymn arrangements may not showcase those skills even if the student possesses them. See the Placement section above for more specifics.

How does age/maturity factor into placement? We place students primarily by skill level but have minimum grades for Full Symphonic (8th) and Strings Orchestra (4th). We also take into account the average age of the ensemble and input from directors regarding behavior and maturity.

How hard should my orchestra music be? Not as hard as your solo music! Think about how much time students spend learning one solo piece and how much help they get from a private teacher to learn that one piece, then consider how much music an ensemble learns in a concert cycle. Take into consideration how few rehearsals there are to learn the music and how much less personal attention students get in that learning process. If the orchestra music is as hard or harder than the student’s solo music, that student may be in the wrong ensemble or may need extra help from a musical parent and/or private teacher to be able to properly contribute to the group.