Fees & Volunteering
Full Season Tuition: The BYO season runs from September into May and we offer families the option of receiving a significant tuition discount in exchange for completing volunteer hours (see table below for required hours and discount amount). A sibling discount is available for the 2nd+ musician who joins from a family. Tuition is due in full by the first rehearsal and is non-refundable.
Partial Season Tuition: Available when joining anytime after the 1st concert and is based on space in the orchestra, which will vary by section. Please contact the Orchestra Manager to inquire.
Financial Assistance: No auditioned and accepted musician will be excluded because of financial need. Please refer to the Scholarship page for information on applying for a BYO scholarship. A tuition payment plan is available for an additional one-time $25 fee. Please contact the Orchestra Manager with questions about financial assistance.
2022-2023
Berkeley Youth Orchestra (BYO)
Entertainment
Full Tuition
Vol Discount
Vol Hours
Sib Discount
BYCO cost
Full Tuition
Volunteer Discount
volunteer hours
Sibling Discount
BYCO Tuition
by invitation only
Full Tuition
Volunteer Discount
volunteer hours
Sibling Discount
BYCO Tuition
by invitation only
Volunteer Opportunities and Other BYO Family Commitments
Volunteering helps to keep tuition low and build community within the orchestra. BYO operates much like a large musical family, giving parents and guardians a chance to work directly with our conductor, coaches, staff, board members, and other orchestra families.
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Mandatory Meetings
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Attendance at the two required Parent Meetings in September and October.
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Mandatory for all families (regardless of the type of tuition or volunteer buyouts)
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Raise $300 in orchestra donations during the season. BYO provides many opportunities to meet this obligation, including participating in Practice-A-Thon, selling concert tickets, donating items for the annual Silent Auction, participating in our Scrip program, and more. A portion of the funds raised from scrip in excess of the $300 requirement will be credited back to families to offset tuition costs. Please refer to the Support BYO page for details.
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Opportunities for fulfilling the volunteering requirement include duties such as: stage set-up/breakdown, concert organization duties, website management, fundraising committee participation, and other duties as determined by our Orchestra Manager.
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Mandatory: Every family will be responsible (with another family) once during the season to bring a snack for the orchestra at either a rehearsal or concert. (Due to COVID-19 we are suspending rehearsal snacks until further notice)
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