School orchestra
Your own school program is almost always the fastest, cheapest way in. It's often free, gives you daily ensemble experience, and your director can sponsor you for everything below.
Talk to your director first
If your school has an orchestra or band program, your director can loan you an instrument, point you toward sheet music, and sponsor your All-State or festival applications. If your school doesn't offer music, ask a counselor about options at a nearby school or district-wide program.
All-State orchestra
All-State is a statewide honor ensemble run by your state's Music Education Association (MEA). You typically record or perform a required audition (scales, an etude, and often a solo excerpt), your director submits your application, and if selected you rehearse and perform with top students from across the state, usually alongside a professional guest conductor.
Deadlines and required repertoire change every year, so treat this as your starting point rather than a fixed date. Check the site above for 2026–27 audition requirements, or ask your director, they usually already know the current timeline.
Local youth orchestras
Most metro areas have at least one youth orchestra outside of school. Don't let a listed tuition price stop you from auditioning.
How to find one
Search "<your city> youth orchestra," ask your school director (they usually know every regional group), or check whether a nearby community music school or university runs one.
Applying for financial aid
Almost every reputable youth orchestra offers need-based tuition assistance, it's just rarely advertised loudly. Email the orchestra directly, ask specifically about financial aid or scholarships, and apply as early as you can since funds are often limited.
ASTA & MusicLink
ASTA
The American String Teachers Association runs student competitions, evaluation programs, and connects you with string teachers through local chapters. astastrings.org →
MusicLink Foundation
A national nonprofit that links students with financial need to professional teachers willing to teach at up to half their normal rate. musiclinkfoundation.org →
Summer programs
Brevard — North Carolina
6.5 weeks · $9,400 · Audition materials: Two contrasting style pieces.
ENCORE Summer Academy — Ohio
3 weeks · Tuition varies by program · Audition materials: 1 or 2 Bach sonata movements, standard concerto movement, etude (Fellowship only)
Heifetz — Virginia
6 or 3 weeks · $9,920 or $6,390 · Audition materials: Bach sonata, virtuosic solo work, and concerto (Senior only).
Center Stage Strings — Michigan
4 weeks · $5,250 · Audition materials: Concerto/showpiece and one other contrasting work.
Sounding Point Academy — Los Angeles
2 weeks · $4,540 · Audition materials: First movement of a concerto.
Chamber Music Intensive at Colburn — Los Angeles
1 or 2 weeks · $1,450 or $2,400 · Chamber music only · Audition materials: Two contrasting style pieces.
Morningside Bridge — Boston
4 weeks · Full scholarship to all students · Audition materials: Classical sonata, standard concerto, one contrasting work from different style period as concerto.
Bowdoin — Maine
3 or 6 weeks · $5,050 or $8,850 · Audition materials: Two contrasting style pieces.
Meadowmount — New York
7 weeks · $9,480 · Audition materials: 15 minutes of contrasting works plus chamber music excerpts.
Montecito — Los Angeles
10 days · $2,850 · Audition materials: Two contrasting style pieces.
BUTI — Boston
Boston University Tanglewood Institute (not to be confused with TMC, which is pre-professional). Length and cost vary by program, 2-week programs start around $3,710.
Summer college orchestras
Several universities open a summer orchestra to community members and advanced high schoolers by audition - another way to further your music during the summer.
Stanford Summer Symphony
Open to Stanford Summer Session students, undergrads, and community members of all ages by audition, no Stanford affiliation required. Rehearses twice weekly for about six weeks, performs in Bing Concert Hall.
UC Berkeley Summer Symphony
Draws musicians from UC Berkeley and across the Bay Area. Auditions happen in early June, rehearsals run twice weekly leading into free public performances at Hertz Hall.
MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra
High level summer orchestra of musicians in the MIT and greater Boston area. Auditions happen in Spring, rehearsals run twice weekly, performing in Kresge Auditorium on MIT campus.
Jenny Lin Foundation
Free summer music program
A Castro Valley–based nonprofit offering a free summer band, orchestra, and choir program for Bay Area students currently in 8th grade or up. Rehearsals run evenings through June and July, ending in a public concert, and the program can also connect students to full or partial scholarships from local youth symphonies.