Classical Music Training Program Opens For Montgomery County Kids

By Max Bennett

A new music program for students looking to become classical musicians is launching soon. Students in fourth through eleventh grade in Montgomery and surrounding counties can sign up to audition for the The Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth Artists' Initiative.

The Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth (PMAY) will accept applications now through April 25 for the program.

Applications will only be accepted for orchestral instrumentalists who play violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, percussion, and harp.

No piano, saxophone, guitar, or voice students will be accepted.

Students must be in fourth through eleventh grade and should already have experience playing their instruments, as beginners are not eligible for the program.

Visit the PMAY Artists' Initiative website to learn more about the auditions, including requirements for different grades, instruments, how to audition, and more.

Chosen students must commit to attending weekly lessons and/or classes in Philadelphia.
Auditions will be held April 26 through April 28.

The Artists’ Initiative will offer students financial support to make lessons, music classes, youth orchestra participation, and summer music camps affordable, as well.

Through the program, students will be able to attend free college and career preparation workshops, and PMAY teachers and staff will work with each family to make sure each musician has an instrument and a strong plan in place for becoming the best musician he or she can be.

The estimated value of what each PMAY Artist will receive in financial support is in the thousands of dollars annually, a press release said.

The PMAY Artists’ Initiative is meant to address a major issue in American classical music, according to a press release.

"Less than 5% of musicians in professional American orchestras are African American or Latino, and the numbers of South Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives are similarly low," the press release said. "Yet the cities that support these orchestras are racially and ethnically diverse places. The PMAY Artists’ Initiative will select a group of 75 young musicians, the first class of PMAY Artists, who will eventually change the face of classical music."

The PMAY Artists’ Initiative is made possible by generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Visit the PMAY Artists' Initiative website to learn more about the program.

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