Musical Notes 2027

Musical Notes is WYSO’s annual family fundraising campaign. We ask each participating family to help raise $250 throughout the year in support of our programs and mission.

WYSO is a heavily subsidized program. The average cost of providing a high-quality orchestral experience for an Orchestra student is $3,500 per year and the average cost of providing an excellent music education to a member in the Music Makers program is $4,500. Because we believe that every young person should have access to exceptional music education regardless of financial circumstances, tuition rates are set at only a fraction of the true program cost - no family pays more than a third of the actual cost of their student’s participation in WYSO.

This tuition assistance is made possible through the generosity of donors, grants, and fundraising efforts. While the Musical Notes fundraising goal does not cover the full gap between tuition and the actual cost of the program, it helps offset a portion of those expenses and allows WYSO to keep tuition as affordable as possible for all families.

Musical Notes also provides families with an alternative way to contribute toward the cost of the program. Through fundraising events and challenges throughout the year, families can help support WYSO’s mission while reducing the financial burden of tuition.

Together, these efforts help ensure that WYSO remains accessible to young musicians of all backgrounds and continues to provide exceptional musical experiences for every student.

This year, our goal is to strengthen the WYSO community by working together toward a shared fundraising goal. Rather than creating competition, we want to celebrate our collective impact and reward everyone as we reach fundraising milestones that benefit the entire WYSO family.

• 25% of our goal ($18,750): Everyone receives a free bagel from the Bagel Booth at the following Saturday rehearsal.
• 50% of our goal ($37,500): Conductors will swap ensembles for part of rehearsal! (Youth Orchestra excluded. Any ensembles that are unable to participate will receive a special consolation prize.)
• 75% of our goal ($56,250): The Operations team will have a new hair day! Joe will get a haircut that the students choose (beard off limits). Yanzel will have a crazy hair day. Wren will dye their hair whatever color students vote for!
• 100% of our goal ($75,000): WYSO Pizza Party! Everyone will enjoy pizza at the following rehearsal to celebrate reaching our goal together.

Every donation brings us one step closer to these celebrations while helping WYSO continue providing exceptional musical opportunities for all of our students. Thank you for being part of our WYSO family and making a difference!