Tees Valley Youth Orchestra

Information for Members and Parents 2025/26

Welcome to Tees Valley Youth Orchestra – Season 57!

TVYO seeks to provide the opportunity for young musicians to enjoy making music to a high standard with similarly advanced players, to help them develop their orchestral skills to their full potential and, through working together with a common musical purpose, to bring out the best in all of them. With this in mind, it is important that all members follow the guidelines below.

Rehearsals

Day:                Fridays during term time

Time:               6:25pm-9.15pm (NB gates locked by 9.30pm) 

Venue:            Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, TS16 9AT (unless otherwise stated)

·       Start times indicate the time we tune. Please arrive in order to ensure you are in place, ready for this to happen. Please ensure that you make it a priority to attend rehearsals each week and to make a firm commitment to concert dates, including the pre-concert rehearsal. You will find these on the “key dates” sheet. Please make sure that if you do plan to miss a rehearsal, it is for a good reason. Any pre-booked absence can be indicated on the availability form at the start of each term. In the event of an unplanned absence ie. illness, please email Nicholas to inform him. Any problems with concert dates for the year or the pre-concert rehearsal should be flagged up at the start of the year, ie. September.

• At the start of each term, please ensure that you have filled in the termly attendance form (online), so that future rehearsals can be planned

If you have to miss a rehearsal unavoidably and at short notice, please send a message in advance of the rehearsal to tvnnowicki@tvms.org.uk. Please try to keep last minute notification of absence to a minimum.

You may not always get an immediate response, but it is noted.

• Please ensure you are ready for a prompt start, fully equipped with everything you need, including your own music stand, pencil and, of course, instrument and music. 

• Please do not take your mobile phone out during rehearsals.

• There is a tuck shop during the break.

Planning

Nicholas usually emails each week, with specific focusses for practice and a plan for the following rehearsal, along with any relevant information or announcements. Please ensure that your speedadmin account is up to date with both a parental and student email address in order to receive this, and please ensure these are checked regularly.

Concerts

TVYO concert days are typically wonderful occasions, as we present our work. On concert days, students who wish to stay in the building between rehearsal and concert will be supervised by TVMS staff in the venue, but TVMS does not take responsibility for anyone who leaves the rehearsal venue and the sight of TVMS staff. If a student leaves the building, or goes to an area of the building that has not been agreed as a designated chaperoning area, they become the responsibility of their parents/carers. From time to time TVMS uses group photographs for publicity material. No names appear. If you have concerns about this please contact TVMS (01642 603600)

In the event that a rehearsal or concert has to be cancelled (due to inclement weather, for example), you will be alerted via email and text message to the contact details supplied on Speedadmin. Our social media pages will also be updated to reflect this. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date in your account. 

Concert Dress

The Orchestra’s standard of presentation of paramount importance. TVYO performs as a single entity with a common purpose, so it is important that the appearance of all members of TVYO is consistent throughout the orchestra, with no individuals drawing attention to themselves by wearing clothes that do not conform with the dress code below.

Boys: White shirt, black trousers, black bow tie, black socks and black shoes, black dinner jacket or suit.

Girls: All black. (Dress or black top /jacket and skirt/trousers). Black shoes.

Music

We sometimes hire or borrow music from other organisations and publishers. In order to minimise the cost of lost music, original copies must not be taken home. It is important that they are handed in at the end of each rehearsal. Please make sure that any markings made during lessons or practice are transferred to your performing copy either before the rehearsal or during the break.

Practice copies will be available on our google drive, where possible, or you can request a printout to take home. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VkUnxDZRo3DnQQ-k-Nec_dsVJxVUTFlW?usp=sharing

Mixed seating (strings)

This is an established practice by many leading orchestras, in which more experienced string players are strategically positioned throughout their sections so that they can help less experienced players develop both their playing ability and general confidence, whilst also improving the ensemble playing of the orchestra generally. 

The seating plan is likely to be more variable in earlier rehearsals, becoming permanent for the later rehearsals leading up to the performance (drawn up by the conductor in association with the section tutor). The desking may change from term to term or piece to piece, depending on many different variables, not least the demands of the music.

Preparation and rehearsals

We like to play exciting and challenging music in TVYO and hopefully our repertoire will continue to get more exciting and varied. Please make sure that you include TVYO music in your private practice and take challenging parts to your teachers. It is vital to know your pieces really well, not just your own part, but others’ too, so please make sure that you listen to the works on a regular basis. In order to maintain the high standard of concerts, please try to make sure that all the “notes are learned” by the half-term before the concert. Above all, if there are sections that you find very tricky, please do not panic – you will not be alone!

Recruitment

Whilst our main recruitment months are in the summer and start of the new academic year, we are very happy to accept applications from new members throughout the year. Please do encourage people you may know to join us. The link for more information and to apply is here:  https://form.jotform.com/231463211218041

Contact details

Email:                                      Tvnnowicki@tvms.org.uk

TVMS Office Phone:                  01642 603600

Postal Address: 

Tees Valley Music Service,

Frederick Nattrass Centre,

Swale Road 

                                     Stockton-on-Tees 

TS20 1BY

N Nowicki

September 2025

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By being a registered member of TVYO, you confirm that you will:

• make it your priority to attend the rehearsals, and to get in touch as soon as possible if you have to miss one

• confirm your availability for the term’s rehearsals/concerts by completing and returning the availability sheet at the start of the term 

• wear the correct concert dress as detailed above

• take responsibility for the music you use and to pay the cost of replacing any that you lose