Dear PYCO Orchestra Students and Parents,

Thank you for your patience as we navigate these challenging times. We have been working hard to finalize the best possible plan for the Fall 2020 semester.

Rehearsals begin this Sunday, September 13th. The PYCO Orchestra will rehearse separately as the PYCO Orchestra Strings and the PYCO Wind Symphony (woodwind, brass and percussion students).

PYCO Wind Symphony will rehearse from 1:45 to 2:25 pm.
PYCO Orchestra Strings will rehearse from 3:00 to 3:40 pm.

At this time, the registration for PYCO Wind Symphony for in-person participation is low enough that we can meet safely each week without splitting into groups.

For the PYCO Orchestra Strings, Pablo has assigned each student to Group A or Group B as posted on the Weekly Schedule here: pyco.org/weekly-schedule.

All rehearsals will be at the PYCO School of Music (150 Lake Dr, Wexford, PA 15090) as well as streamed online via Zoom. If there is any week that you cannot attend in person, you are welcome to join online. Online-only participants are expected to join the Zoom rehearsals each week. The Zoom link will be sent to you on Sunday.

Each in-person student will be required to submit a liability waiver. You may print and fill out the form and turn it in when you come to rehearsal. Everyone will also be given a copy when they come.

Information and updates are posted below. As the season progresses, we will send additional updates via email. Don't forget to regularly check the PYCO website for information as well. Please keep in mind that we are continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will make adjustments as needed. We will inform you as soon as possible of any updates.

Please contact us at info@pyco.org if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Best Regards,
Pablo Ardiles, PYCO Artistic Director
Kim Wachter McShea, PYCO Operations Manager
Lauren Corcoran Emrich, Interim PYCO Orchestra Manager
Emily Tarantino, Incoming PYCO Orchestra Manager

Note: If you are receiving this email, we are planning on your participation this semester. If you are NOT joining us, please let us know right away. 
ENSEMBLE SCHEDULE FALL 2020
Sunday - Rehearsals at PYCO School of Music & Streamed Live

12:30 PM - 1:10 PM ....... Junior Wind Ensemble (Recital Hall)
 1:45 PM - 2:25 PM ....... PYCO Wind Symphony* (Recital Hall)
 3:00 PM - 3:40 PM ....... PYCO Orchestra Strings+ (Recital Hall)
 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM ....... Chamber Strings (Recital Hall)
 5:00 PM - 5:40 PM ....... Junior Strings (Recital Hall)
​
 2:45 PM - 3:25 PM ....... Chamber Woodwinds (Room 203)
 3:45 PM - 4:25 PM ....... Chamber Brass (Room 203)

* PYCO Orchestra Brass, Woodwind, & Percussion students
+ PYCO Orchestra Strings students
What to bring with you each week: 
  • Your instrument
  • Any accessories you need for your instrument (shoulder rest, rock stop, extra reeds, mouth piece, etc.)
  • Your face covering
  • A pencil
  • Your music (more info below)
  • If you need water, please bring your own bottle

PYCO will provide music stands, you do not need to bring one with you.
COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocol for PYCO Fall 2020

We are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 situation and are doing our best to create the safest environment to make music together.
This includes: reduced rehearsal time, reduced student capacity, social distancing, sanitation between ensemble rehearsals, air circulation between ensemble rehearsals, face masks at all times, and shields between brass and woodwind students. Please review our Health and Safety Protocol HERE.

As stated above, each in-person student will be required to submit a liability waiver. You may print and fill out the form and turn it in when you come to rehearsal. Everyone will also be given a copy when they come.
Email Notifications

As the season progresses, we will send updates via email to the email address(es) we have on file for you.

For group emails, we use the services of Constant Contact. To ensure that you receive these emails, please add info@pyco.org to your contact list, and make sure to check your spam or junk mail folders.

If a member of your family would like to be on our email list but is not already, please let us know and we will add them.

If you unsubscribe from Constant Contact, we will not be able to send you any emails about rehearsals or other important updates, and we cannot add anyone back onto an email list who has unsubscribed.

Gmail users, please note that Gmail sorts emails into different category tabs like Personal, Social, Promotions, etc. Do not forget to check these other categories for PYCO email. Gmail Help has more information about controlling this feature.

Information sent in emails is also posted on our website. Check the PYCO website regularly for the most up-to-date information.
Tuition

Detailed tuition information for Fall 2020 can be found on our website here: pyco.org/make-a-tuition-payment.

If you have any tuition questions, please direct them to Kim.
Music and Folders

Music will be passed out at the first rehearsal. Additionally, links to PDFs will be emailed to you soon. Please note, additional music will be passed out throughout the season.

Due to the unexpected end to last season, we were unable to collect the music folders from students. Students who still have a folder from last semester should turn it in at rehearsal.

This semester, each student will receive a disposable black folder to use for his or her music, as we work on collecting and sanitizing our reusable folders.

Please direct music and folder questions to Emily.
Important Website Links

Please check the "Current Members" tab on our website for links to important general information including:
Contact Info

Contact information for PYCO staff can be found here: pyco.org/contact. Please let us know if you any questions!
Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra | 412-600-5369 | info@pyco.org | pyco.org