The North Palm Youth Symphony (NPYS) is a 501(c)3 educational organization committed to providing students with world-class string education and orchestral experience in a supportive, positive, inclusive and nurturing environment. We aim to create a positive impact in society and enrich the communities we serve through the arts. As an cross cultural and inclusive organization, creating opportunities and opening doors of access to a high quality string education for all students is fundamentally aligned to the work that we do. 

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Founded in the summer of 2021, the NPYS began as a single high school orchestra with 28 students. Currently and during our third year in operation, we have grown into a much larger organization with six orchestras, serving over 120 students from kindergarten through high school and into adulthood. Our students are not just learning music; they are growing as young artists, developing critical life skills such as collaboration, discipline, focus, sustained effort, grit and building lifelong  relationships in a rich, supportive, and positive environment. They are heavily involved in the arts through the collective, disciplined, rigorous endeavor of the creation of beauty through music, developing human sensibilities only achieved through the experience of the fine arts, which cultivate ethical and aesthetic values inherent in process of creating music as a community.

 

We aim to continue growing as an organization in order to bring this rich education to a greater number of students, and make a much larger impact in our local community.

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In Palm Beach County, fewer than 5 of the 72 middle and high schools offer orchestra programs. We define an 'Orchestra Program' as a multi-tiered sequence of instruction comprising of at least three leveled classes that include beginning, intermediate and advanced. The North Palm Youth Symphony fills this gap by offering access to orchestral education through six leveled groups, taking students through a comprehensive sequence of instruction that moves them from complete beginners through to competent young artists. Presently, we are serving students from over 30 different schools, including public schools, private schools, and homeschool settings. 

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A brief summary of our organizational impact:

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• Expanded from a single high school orchestra of 28 students to five orchestras serving over 120 students across K-12 in a three year span

• We service students from over 30 different schools, including public schools, private schools, and homeschool settings

• $5,000 of instruments provided to students, including violins, violas, and cellos

• $1,500 awarded in college scholarships to our first three graduating seniors in the Spring of 2023

• $3,500 provided in tuition assistance to students attending our program

• We fill a significant educational gap in Palm Beach County, where fewer than 5 out of 72 middle and high schools offer orchestra programs

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The NPYS operates under the guidance of our Artistic Director, Victor Fernandez, who is fueled by a profound and inherent belief in the limitless potential of his students and all human beings. Both a veteran educator and professional musician, Mr. Fernandez is uniquely positioned to both lead the organization’s artistic vision while also serving as practitioner, educator, conductor and pedagogue leading day to day educational and administrative operations of the orchestra. 

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A brief summary of our organization:

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• ​We serve students across 6 string orchestras ranging from beginning through advanced

• We serve students Kindergarten through Highschool (K-12) and College

• Currently children from over 30 different schools participate, who not have have orchestra at their schools

• Approximately 120 families participate in our program

• Our most advanced group performs 6-10 free and open to the public community concerts per year, including concerts for the City of North Palm Beach, Morse Life retirement community and community concerts at the North Palm Beach Country Club.

• Our orchestras culminate their year with a large, combined concert at a local theatre. During the 2022 - 2023 fiscal year, we culminated the year with a large concert at the Benjamin High School Auditorium. 

• Our year is structured into Fall and Spring sessions, each comprising of 13 - 14 one to one and a half hour intensive rehearsal sessions culminating in one or more concerts depending on the level of the group. 

• Fundraising avenues currently include our December giving campaign, the NPYS Program Book and the Giving Page on our website.

• Current operational costs are covered through a very nominal tuition families pay each session

• Our donors are all prominently displayed on our website's Our Supporters page, as well as our yearly program book. 

• All fundraising efforts are widely promoted through our social media channels that include Google, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter(X). 

• Yearly, we provide over $10,000 to families through Instruments given, College Scholarships and Tuition Assistance.

• Thanks to a grant by the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, we are able to bring in professional musicians to lead workshops, providing our students additional learning and performing opportunities. Expanding our funding in this area will allow us to hire personnel, bring in more artists, and expose our students to world class musicians and educators.

• We maintain excellent relationships with the City of North Palm Beach, the Farmer's Table and The North Palm Beach Country Club, which graciously provide us with rehearsal and performing space throughout the year. Our orchestra participates and provides music for various events throughout the year such as the Tree Lighting Ceremony, the Veteran's Day Celebration and various community concerts.

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Our next significant goal is to secure a permanent space for the Youth Orchestra. A permanent space would enable us to have a dedicated office, provide us with a rehearsal and performing space for our orchestras, and allow us to purchase and safely store instruments, recording and broadcasting equipment, and provide a space for our music library. We are interested in partnering with a corporate entity or individual with commercial space that can support our cause providing space or the funding that would allow us to move into a permanent space of our own.

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• Securing a permanent office / rehearsal / performing space for the Youth Orchestra

• Connecting with charitable individuals able to financially support our educational goals and efforts, allowing our offerings to expand, hire more personnel, bring in professional artists to offer workshops, support our graduating seniors with scholarships, provide instruments to students, offer greater tuition assistance to families, offer additional classes and provide our students more opportunities to perform and learn. 

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As a 501(c)3 organization, we are able to provide tax-deductible giving opportunities for donors who are passionate about supporting a boots on the ground arts organization such as ours. Our work would not be possible without the support of our community, and we continually seek to connect with charitable individuals and organizations who are passionate advocates of the arts and can support our work with tax-deductible donations.

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We fundamentally believe that music can alter the trajectory of a human life. We also believe that creating music as a community fosters development that extends beyond the realm of art. It is a transformative journey that develops ethical and aesthetic values, and enriches the human spirit. Famed violinist Yasha Heifetz once said "There is no top, there are always further heights to reach". We inherently believe in the unlimited potential of human beings, and strive to guide every one of our students to embark on the life-long journey of growing as young artists, and human beings. Through this inner transformation and growth, we positively impact and transform the lives of our students, their families, their communities and ultimately our society. It is our mission to enable our students to pursue and develop their talents and passions in their journey towards becoming a successful, accomplished and thriving adults.

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I invite you to join us on this remarkable journey. Whether through a donation, a partnership, or volunteering your time, your support can help us continue to uplift the lives of our students and their communities through a world-class string education and orchestral experience. Our organization was created to meet the need for high quality string and orchestral education in Palm Beach County. Through its outreach, we are able to serve serve a growing number of students lack access to orchestras in their schools. It is our mission to positively transform lives through music. With the support of our community, I know we can realize our full potential. 

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Sincerely, 

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Victor Fernandez