Extra-Curricular Festivals
Students in the High School Orchestra may be interested in participating in orchestra music festivals outside of the school day. School-sponsored events include:
- Strings North (Dates TBD): A two-day regional festival for orchestra students in grades 7-12.
- Junior High District Orchestra (Dates TBD): A two-day competitive festival for orchestra students in grades 7-9.
- PMEA District 1 Honors Orchestra (November 7-8, 2015 @ Chartiers Valley High School): The most competitive of all the festivals, for advanced orchestra students in grades 9-12. Students who are interested in Honors Orchestra must complete an audition to be selected. Auditions are held on the night of September 21, 2015. Students may secure audition music from their private teacher.
- Senior High District Orchestra (January 7-9, 2016 @ Upper St. Clair High School): A three-day competitive festival for orchestra students in grades 10-12. This is the first step in the senior-high festival system. Students who place well at District Orchestra may advance to:
- Region Orchestra (February 25-27, 2016 @ State College Area High School) and then onto:
- Pennsylvania State Orchestra (March 30-April 2, 2016 @ Hershey High School)
Students who choose to participate in these festivals must commit to every part of the festival in order to be considered. For example, a student who wishes to participate in Senior High District Orchestra must be available on January 7-9, February 25-27 and March 25-28 in the event that they would advance through the competition.
Private Lessons
Apart from extra-curricular festivals, private instruction is strongly recommended as a supplemental to what students learn in orchestra class. Please contact Mr. Neville at nevillec@qvsd.org for recommended teachers for your instrument.
Extra-Curricular Ensembles
Students who are looking for playing opportunities outside of the school day and more regularly than festivals may consider auditioning to join the following groups:
Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra: http://www.pittsburghyouthsymphony.org/
Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra: http://www.pypo.org/
Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra: http://www.pyco.info/
Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras: http://www.trypo.org/index.php
South Hills Junior Orchestra: http://www.shjo.org/home.html
***IMPORTANT***: While each of these ensembles can provide students with meaningful and beneficial playing experiences, each of these ensembles is designed to supplement, not replace, the daily music instruction students receive through their school programs.