Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ's
  1. How do I join Sinfonia or the Youth Symphony?

    We have auditions in the Fall, Winter and Spring. For more information go to our auditions page. To sign up for an audition complete our audition form.

  2. Does NVYS offer scholarships for tuition? How about lessons?

    Napa Valley Youth Symphony is committed to creating an organization that values diversity, equity and inclusion and offers tuition and lesson scholarships to accepted student musicians based on financial-need. We believe that cost should never be a barrier to participation and our tuition fees account for only 25% of the actual cost of our educational programs.

  3. Can I participate in sports and a NVYS ensemble?
    Sports and NVYS can coexist. If games and practices overlap with NVYS rehearsals, musicians must seek permission from their conductor in advance to miss rehearsal or performance. Each musician is crucial to their ensemble and has three (3) allowable absences per season. Musicians receiving scholarships risk losing their award with excessive absences. For questions or concerns, please contact our Executive Director, Silvia Regalado-Zachlod at silvia@nvyso.org.
  4. My child is really excited about music but does not play an instrument yet, can they try out?

    NVYS doesn’t currently have any ensembles appropriate for starting an instrument. We invite you to look at private teachers in our area who can help your child establish basic music skills before joining a music ensemble. Any of them would be qualified to get your student the fundamental skills necessary to perform in an ensemble such as Sinfonia. Many students begin their musical journeys with school band and orchestra programs and then broaden their experiences with private lessons and ensembles such as NVYS.

  5. How often does my child need to practice to be in NVYS and Sinfonia?

    There is no defined requirement of practice time to be a member of any of the NVYS and the amount will vary from student to student, and from week to week. In general, Sinfonia students should plan to spend one to three hours a week on their Sinfonia music, and NVYS members should plan to spend three to six hours per week. Note that this is not just playing the instrument in another ensemble but working on technical challenges presented by the music for NVYS or Sinfonia.

  6. What are “seating auditions” and why do you have them?

    Seating auditions are sessions where each strings orchestra member performs for a panel of judges, who determine their placement within the orchestra. This process usually determines the Concertmaster and Principal violinist positions.

    Youth Symphony conducts seating auditions twice per season: at the beginning (August/September) and midway through (January). Sinfonia students are seated based on auditions held in May.

    These auditions allow us to assess each student's strengths and weaknesses, ensuring a balanced sound during performances. The director gains a clear understanding of each student's abilities to place them where they can contribute most effectively to the ensemble and benefit the group the most.

  7. Does my child need to take private lessons to be in a NVYS ensemble?

    Private lessons are required of NVYS student musicians. Private music lessons give each student musician an individualized  support for mastering their instrument and creating their playing technique. While we over sectional coaching, this does not give or replace the individualized attention needed for building a solid musical foundation.

  8. Can my child only audition for Youth Symphony or Sinfonia?

    When students audition we place them in the ensemble that is appropriate for their current musical level. However, if students are only interested in auditioning for one particular ensemble please let us know prior to your audition and we will keep that in mind. If you are unsure about which group is best for you, we invite you to schedule an audition so we can discuss the ideal placement with you.

  9. How much time is required to be a part of NVYS?

    Sinfonia groups require 2 hours of rehearsal weekly and NVYS requires 3 hours. In addition, students are expected to practice their music outside of the rehearsal between three to six hours a week depending on what is needed to prepare passages for performance.

  10. What do I do if my student isn’t enjoying their experience in NVYS?

    Above all, NVYS should be an enjoyable experience for students. Please contact your ensemble’s director directly or speak with our Executive Director, Silvia Regalado-Zachold.

  11. Can I visit a NVYS rehearsal?

    Parents and prospective students are welcome to observe a Youth Symphony or Sinfonia rehearsal on a mutually agreeable day. We host a Fall and Spring Audition Workshop for musicians (and their families) to answer any questions and schedule auditions at the start of the season. We also encourage our current members to Bring-a-Friend to Rehearsal Day in the Spring. Parents and musicians are encouraged to attend our workshop and bring your musician to our concerts so that they can become familiar with our programs.

    To sign-up for our next Audition Workshop, please check dates HERE.

  12. What differentiates a Sinfonia and a Youth Symphony musician?

    Please visit our Auditions page to review our Audition Packets for each orchestra instrument. 

  13. How do musicians move from Sinfonia to Youth Symphony?

    Movement from Sinfonia to Youth Symphony is based on the results of your musician's Youth Symphony audition. Musicians must demonstrate an advanced intermediate level of technical expertise in this audition. Age, grade and time in Sinfonia are not factors in promotion to Youth Symphony. To ensure musicians are successful in their audition, please talk to your student's ensemble director to ask for feedback about areas to work on in your private lessons to prepare for your audition.