2026-2027 Classes and Ensembles
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✍️ New Students: Register on Jovial! ✉️ Join our mailing list
For more information about registration, email registrar@sequimcommunityorchestra.org.
We will also likely offer Holiday Jams in November and December 2026 in Port Angeles & Sequim. Jams are for small groups of students (5 or less), coached by local private teachers and musicians.
About Our Classes
Peninsula Community Youth Orchestra is for children of any age and youths at heart. Classes are $150 per term, and terms run 8 weeks each in Fall, Winter, and Spring. Scholarships are available on request. When we have an instrument in your child’s size, we will loan it to them for free. Adults must pay a minimal maintenance fee for their instruments.
Children under 8, and those who are not yet able to read, are welcome to join our Sprouts classes. Sprouts classes provide a fun introduction to music concepts with singing and dancing. Parents can choose between Suzuki Sprouts (age-appropriate group violin learning) and Sound Sprouts (age-appropriate music theory).
Children entering our 7+ string classes should be able to read, as we begin teaching reading music in these classes right away. These classes are appropriate for students who are ready to sit for about 30–45 minutes and learn from a teacher. No musical background is expected for beginner classes.
Students who have been playing for more than a year with their school program (4–5 days a week), more than two years with our program, or taking private lessons may be ready to join the Youth Orchestra program. Children with some training but not ready for youth orchestra are welcome in our Intermediate Strings class if they need support learning their instrument.
Parents, grandparents, and other youths at heart may join our Adult Strings classes. We currently offer one for beginner violins in Port Angeles and one for beginner violas in Sequim, but may add more for intermediates, cello, or other classes depending on interest and availability.
Sequim classes are located at Swisher Hall in Sequim, WA, near Carrie Blake Park and the soccer fields, or at Trinity United Methodist Church on Blake Avenue.
Port Angeles classes are located at First United Methodist Church on 7th Street near the Masonic Lodge.
How does our program fit in with other Peninsula music programs?
The Peninsula Community Youth Orchestra is designed to serve students who have traditionally had fewer opportunities to learn string instruments. The Sequim Community Orchestra's mission specifically calls out the Sequim area, as its school district does not have an orchestra program. We also see many students join our classes from Chimacum. In Port Angeles, the school orchestra program begins in fourth grade, so students younger than grade 4 do not have a group program they can participate in. Homeschool students may also lack access to a group orchestra program.
We assume that students will graduate from our program after a few years and enter another orchestra suited to their skill level, such as the Sequim Community Orchestra . Once students have mastered their instrument, they may choose to audition for the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra . This typically does not occur until high school and generally requires private instruction.
PCYO highly recommends private lessons in addition to our classes, especially as students demonstrate continued interest in their studies. Violins, violas, cellos, and basses are challenging instruments that take many years to master. A private teacher can help identify weaknesses, strengthen skills, and build on students’ natural strengths. Please talk to your PCYO teacher for recommendations; both Port Angeles and Sequim have a strong community of well-vetted private instructors that we are happy to refer students to.
SCO and PCYO collaborate with Olympic Strings , as our educational missions are closely aligned. Olympic Strings provides summer string programs for students on the Olympic Peninsula, and we highly recommend their offerings as a complement to our programs when classes are not in session.
The musical environment of the Olympic Peninsula is vibrant and growing, with several organizations actively expanding after-school opportunities for string students across the region. Expect more information on new and expanded opportunities for string students in the near future.