Overview

Da Capo offers intermediate woodwind & brass players an ensemble enrichment opportunity in a fun & encouraging environment. Sessions are seven weeks long and meet in the fall and spring. During each session, musicians will prepare concert repertoire specific to winds and brass.

Requirements

Da Capo is intended for students in grades 6–9 who have at least one year of experience on their instrument. Students should be able to play in keys with up to two sharps or two flats, and be comfortable reading rhythms that include sixteenth notes, eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and their equivalent rests, including dotted rhythms. No audition is required for participation.

Schedule

Rehearsals (2026-2027)

  • Sundays 12:30 pm–2:30 pm at Elley-Long Music Center
  • Starting September 20, 2026

Concerts

  • November 8 at 1:30 pm, Elley-Long Music Center
  • Dress rehearsal TBD.

Attendance Policy

The VYOA believes that full participation by all members of each ensemble leads to greater success and more fun! Da Capo students are allowed 1 rehearsal absence per semester for illness or an unavoidable schedule conflict.

Tuition & Financial Aid

2026-2027 Tuition: $180/session

Annual tuition fees for participation in the VYOA vary. Please note that tuition is non-refundable. 

Financial Aid

The VYOA believes strongly that no child should be discouraged from participating due to financial need. Need-based financial aid is available to all families who wish to apply. Click the button below to access this year’s financial aid application. Please contact our office for additional information or to receive a hard-copy of the Financial Aid application.

Apply

Register for Da Capo

  • Registration deadline: September 13, 2026

Please download and complete the registration packet. This includes tuition payment, medical information, and our media consent form.

All programs have a non-refundable registration fee of $50, included in tuition.

Questions

Contact Art DeQuasie with any questions about registration.

Register

Da Capo is FUN— we get to play repertoire written specifically for brass and wind instruments, we get to explore everything these instruments can do, and we get to share the joy of creating music as an ensemble. What’s not to love? Year after year, students grow in technique and musicianship, but just as importantly, they learn how to support one another and contribute to something larger than themselves.

– Ally Tarwater, Conductor