Statements
Mission
The Tennessee Youth Symphony seeks to encourage musical excellence by providing superior musical training and a variety of performance opportunities for young musicians in the Middle Tennessee region. We believe that playing music together supports community among diversity enriching the lives of young people while encouraging a life-long love of the arts.
Background
In 1997 a group of parents and community leaders came together to solve a problem. A thriving community of early string programs in the Williamson County area had produced skilled musicians who, as they reached their teenage years, had nowhere to play together in an orchestral setting. Funding in the public schools did not support orchestras. The Williamson County Youth Orchestra (currently known as Tennessee Youth Symphony) was formed as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit entity to provide this opportunity. Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the scope of the program has grown from the original single performance group with twenty musicians to include a variety of performance groups for school-age musicians at different levels of development. We changed our name to Tennessee Youth Symphony in July 2017 so that our name represents more of the student population that we serve. In the past few years we have had participation from students living in at least nine counties. Our students, who are economically and racially diverse, share a common passion for music. Many participate in our extra-curricular ensembles, audition for honor groups such as the Mid-State Orchestra, take private lessons, and continue to study music in post-secondary school. Our students are dedicated to their music and love to learn, prepare and perform. The Tennessee Youth Symphony is dedicated to providing them with a superior orchestral experience in which to do so successfully.
Impact
Tennessee Youth Symphony continues its 27th year of challenging young musicians in orchestral music performance. The Youth Symphony has the opportunity to perform two free community concerts at Belmont McAffee Concert Hall and The Schermerhorn Concert hall. A smaller ensemble of Youth Symphony players also have an opportunity to play at the Brentwood Tree lighting as well as the possibility of playing during other festivals in the area. The Prelude Strings join The Youth Symphony in the 2 community concerts as well as their own community concert at a local library. The Spotlight on the Stage event features our Jazz/Rock Ensemble as well as solo, duet, and small ensemble performers from our organization. Our Jazz/Rock Band Ensemble will also have the opportunity to collaborate with Nashville State Community College Jazz Band and to record at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville.
TheTennessee Youth Symphony continues to have a wonderful relationship with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, with area school music instructors, and with area private music teachers. Tennessee Youth Symphony hosts more than 40 sectional music instruction sessions for our students which are hosted by our conductors, guest musicians from The Nashville Symphony Orchestra, local music educators, and local professional musicians.
For our upcoming Season we are fostering relationships with local Musical Artists that have a heart for orchestral music and young people. Our hope is to have these new friends perform a song or two with us during one or both of our concerts. This fall we had the honor of having Cody Fry come to a rehearsal to encourage and answer questions with our Youth Symphony group. We continue to spread the name of TYS across the Middle Tennessee Region and this year we are starting with our pre-covid number of musicians. We are nearing capacity, so a real desire is to find our own home for practice rooms and offices. we currently rent space each week, but if we continue to grow as we did this year, we will be bursting at the seam in the next 2 years.
Needs
An immediate need includes amps and a PA system for our Jazz/Rock Band cost: $3000-$4000
We would also love to add a fourth timpamo to our instruments: $2,000-$3,000
We would also like to add a younger full orchestra group which would require hiring another conductor as well as the chairs, stands, music and other supplies that entails
To find us a new home which would include at least 4 large practice rooms, office space, a conference room and a board room, plus furnishings (chairs, stands, tables, etc): $6,000,000--$8,000,000
CEO Statement
The Tennessee Youth Symphony is family and community. Our conductors truly care about the kids that come into their rooms and want them to succeed and grow in their musical gifts. Each member is more than just a number or a tuition payment; they are a unique musician that brings special qualities to the organization as a whole. Each musician is needed in order for the group to perform and for each group to sound as amazing as they always do at each performance. Not only are the students welcomed in, but so are the parents. We want the parents of our musicians to be as involved as they are willing to be becuase we know we would not have an organization without the parents. They are the ones who encouraged their child toward music. They encourage them to practice, take them to private lessons, drive them to our weekly lessons, show up to the performances, buy the instruments. We want to make our parents as comfortable as possible. Some drive over an hour to get their child to rehearsal each week so we provide a "Parent Room" where they can sit and do work or relax and talk with other parents or just be quiet and read a book. Our organization is family. The parents pitch in and help with rehearsals, concerts, creating programs and so much more! Our Board of Directors is a completely volunteer board made up of parents and while we welcome any interested parties, it is something special to have those invested in the organization help to run it. It truly is a magical place. Student musicians find TYS and stay for 3, 4 even 7 years. They find a home that challenges them, stretches their skills and creates friendships across schools and counties.
Board Chair Statement
The 2020-2021 Season was hard on most organizations, but we fought thru with virtual rehearsals, larger rehearsal spaces so we could spread out and even a virtual concerts. Our number of musicians dwindled. 2021-22 found us with more students, but still searching and learning how to bring the numbers back up and get the word out about our organization. The largest challenge we face is the fact that we are a fully volunteer board. The turnover is great (with a term being 3 years). A huge goal for this year is to get the Board of Directors more organized and fully brought into the digital age. We are creating a handbook, so that when the next parent steps up with a willing heart, but not much (if any) experience, they have the tools that they need to be successful. We are also creating a more extensive Parent Volunteer Program, and procedures that will hopefully make the Board transitions much easier when they do happen. We have a wonderful community of parents this year and the hallways were a buzz with the activity of helpers, parents chatting and getting to know each other and the students practicing in their respective rooms. We were bursting at the seems, literally. We have reached the point where a new home is at the forefront of our minds. To be able to have our own practice spaces that we don't have to rent each year, to have office spaces for the board to be able to meet and work and keep all things organized for transitions and a place for us to store our own instruments is a high and lofty goal, but one that will need to come to fruition in the near future. The Tennessee Youth family will only be getting larger and we need the space to house our community. It would also be special to us becuase as of yet, we haven't had a space to call our own. We have always rented spaces for practices, first in Franklin, then at a church in Brentwood and finally where we are today at a local High School. It has been a fun journey, but everyone wants a place to call their own.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Symphony Orchestras |
| Secondary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
| Tertiary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Music |
Areas Served
Our primary practice venue for our large ensembles is located in Nashville very close to the I-65 corridor. Our primary performances are also held in Nashville. We welcome students from across the mid-state area, and to date have had musicians from ten different counties participate in our programs.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Wilson |
