Toledo Jazz Youth Orchestra

Registration is open to students who have been accepted into the ensemble on the basis of their audition. 

Financial Assistance is available. If interested, please submit application here 

Membership in your school's ensembles

Toledo Jazz Youth Orchestra is meant to enhance, not replace, school music instruction. TJYO students are required to participate in their school orchestra/band if one is available in their school. Music students benefit from daily ensemble instruction and rehearsal. Please discuss any scheduling conflicts with your school’s music director. We will verify all members’ participation in their school’s music program in early February. TJYO meets for rehearsal only once each week. School music programs provide the essential daily instruction required for a serious student’s musical progress.
Homeschooled students and students attending schools without music programs should email Sarah Schaefer at sschaefer@artstoledo.com to complete this form.

All students will be required to turn in the School Music Ensemble Verification Form after the first week of rehearsal. Failure to turn in the required forms will result in removal from the ensemble. Tuition will not be reimbursed for this. 

Communication

Staff will mainly use email to contact parents and students with updates and important announcements. It is important that you provide your most up to date email and check it regularly. Please make sure all information is up to date in Jackrabbit, our online registration platform. We will often send emails through this platform; occasionally these are marked as spam. If you believe that you aren’t receiving emails through Jackrabbit, please contact TJYO staff as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for emails from Live Arts Toledo. 

Punctuality

Rehearsals will follow the schedule provided to you upon enrollment. Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early for tuning, warm-up, and set-up. You must be in your seats ready to play by the time rehearsal is scheduled to begin. Toledo Jazz Youth Orchestra rehearses from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Rehearsals will include a short break. 

Sheet Music

Each student will be issued a folder and the music selected by the conductor for rehearsal and performance. Each student must bring their music and a pencil for marking music to each rehearsal. Markings may be made in pencil only and must be musical in nature; obscenities written in music will be considered against student conduct. The student is responsible for bringing the music to rehearsal each week. 

Attendance

Attendance will be taken at every rehearsal. Sign in sheets will be available before rehearsal starts. Students should sign in at the front desk when they arrive at rehearsal, not during their break. All TJYO members are expected to attend all rehearsals and scheduled events on their Season Calendar. Regular attendance is required to maintain membership in the ensemble. 

Absence Policy

All absences must be reported through the Parent Portal in Jackrabbit. When reporting your absence via the parent portal, you must include the reason for your student’s absence for it to be eligible for consideration as an excused absence. Submissions with a blank note field will be unexcused. A parent email to the Education Director may also be accepted and eligible for consideration for an excused absence. Emails from students will not be accepted and will be considered unexcused.
Only two excused absences or one unexcused absence will be permitted for the spring semester. Excessive problems with attendance and punctuality are grounds for dismissal from the ensemble, without refund.
An Excused Absence is an absence reported at the proper time in the proper way fully explaining the school (academic, not extracurricular) or illness related absence. “Extra-curricular” shall be considered anything that is not graded at school.
Non-academic, non-emergency, or non-illness related absences will be considered unexcused. Students may have only one unexcused absence per semester. 

Inclement Weather

Due to inclement weather, rehearsals may be cancelled. If Toledo Public Schools are closed or all afterschool activities are cancelled, there will NOT be a rehearsal. Please watch the News Channel 13 crawl for the latest information. As always, if the conditions are dangerous, please make a choice based on safety. 

Tuition

Tuition for Toledo Jazz Youth Orchestra is $250 for the spring semester. Tuition must be paid by the second rehearsal. Students participating in Live Arts Toledo's Education programming will receive a $50 discount on tuition. Tuition includes participation in all rehearsals and the concert.

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance is available to qualifying students. We encourage students to apply if the cost of participation is prohibitive. The application can be found here.

Payment by Cash or Check

Special arrangements must be made for tuition payments via cash or check. Please email us to arrange these payment methods. 

TJYO Harassment and Bullying Policy

Live Arts Toledo and the Toledo Jazz Youth Orchestra (“TJYO”) are committed to maintaining a positive learning environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Discrimination, harassment, and bullying, like other disruptive or violent behaviors, are types of conduct that disrupt students’ ability to learn and TJYO’s ability to educate its students in a safe environment, and such conduct will not be tolerated. For purposes of this policy, harassment and bullying are defined as any unwelcome or unwanted conduct of an offensive nature, whether verbal, physical, or environmental, that is intended to or actually causes mental or physical harm to the individual at which it is directed or that creates an intimidating, abusive, hostile, or offensive environment. Harassment and bullying also includes misconduct that occurs using electronic equipment and media, such as through email, text, or social media. This policy also applies to misconduct that occurs outside of TJYO hours but that is directed towards TJYO students or staff or that substantially disrupts the TJYO’s learning environment. Examples of prohibited conduct include, but are not limited to: Physical violence, damage to an individual’s property, or threats Sexual assault or unwelcome touching  Unwanted or unwelcome flirtations or sexual advances or propositions, or comments about an individual’s body, sexual prowess, or sexual deficiencies Verbal abuse, slurs, taunts, name-calling, or other attempts to ridicule, insult, humiliate, or intimidate Repeated jokes that include offensive references, particularly those that reference race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, or that are lewd or obscene Public exclusion from the peer group Spreading gossip or rumors about others Taking and/or disseminating unwanted or embarrassing photographs The TJYO encourages all individuals who believe they are being harassed or bullied to firmly or promptly notify the offender that his or her behavior is unwelcome, if possible. All TJYO staff and students are required to report misconduct under this policy to the Education Director or any other member of the TJYO or Live Arts Toledo staff. Anonymous complaints can be sent to the Vice President and General Manager. Retaliation against any victim or person who makes a good faith report of harassment or bullying will not be tolerated and will also be considered misconduct under this policy. Deliberate or knowingly false reports, however, will not be tolerated and are considered misconduct under this policy.