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Congratulations Blair on your Incredible Success! Blair is the founder and CEO of Chaos Creators ( https://www.chaoscreatorsent.com/ ), an entertainment agency dedicated to out-of-the-box social media marketing, fan engagement and short-form content creation. In her executive role, she has secured deals with Universal Music Group Nashville, led social media efforts for Interscope artist Kassi Ashton, and worked on projects like Dasha's viral hit "Austin". Forbes 30 Under 30 is the annual list published by Forbes magazine that highlights young leaders in their particular fields. ( https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2025/music )   Beginning as a violinist in JYO, Blair was a dedicated YMM musician for seven years. She became principal violin in the second violin section, then switched to viola prior to her move to HO. In 2014, following graduation from Santa Catalina School and YMM, Blair earned her Music Business Bachelors Degree at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she still lives and creates. At Belmont U., she honed her marketing skills through a number of internships. Prior to launching Chaos Creators she served as the creative director of Jonas Group Media, a marketing agency she built alongside Kevin Jonas, Sr. Blair has also been featured as a speaker at numerous events including the Youth Marketing Summit, the Women in Music Summit, and others.    Thank you Blair for leading the way with your amazing contribution to music business!

Pianist DANIEL FUNG enjoys a multifaceted career as musician, collaborative artist, educator, and administrator. His performances have taken him throughout the United States, his native Canada, and Europe. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. Notable collaborations include members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, appearances with vocalists at Marilyn Horne’s festival at Carnegie Hall, The Song Continues, and live-streamed master classes with Renée Fleming, Eric Owens, Elly Ameling, and Joyce DiDonato. An alumnus of the University of Calgary and The Juilliard School, he has worked as score consultant with the Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD team. Passionate about educating and empowering students from all backgrounds, he has served on faculty at UW-Madison, University of Nevada, Reno, and UMKC Conservatory with his students gaining acceptance into programs such as Aspen, Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, NEC, and Juilliard. As Creative Development Program Director at Minnesota Opera he oversaw the reimagining of the Education department. In addition to developing projects that served infants to seniors, he led collaborations with Hmong immersion programs and students from St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) and Oshkosh high schools to access the 2023 world premiere of The Song Poet which is the first Hmong-centered story adapted for opera. Daniel was a panelist at the 2022 National NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Conference entitled “Where do we go from here?”, the 2023 Opera America Conference “Centering Core Values in the Workplace” and will present and perform at the 2024 National NATS Conference with tenor Dr. Albert Lee, Director of Equity, Belonging, and Student Life at the Yale School of Music. Most recently, Daniel took part in the latest Opera America Leadership Intensive in New York City. Beyond work, Dr. Daniel Fung delights in new culinary experiences and world travel.

by Jeanne Gavrin Youth Music Monterey County proudly accepted the Arts for Youth Award of Monterey County Gives! 2021. Created to support mental health in youth through the arts. This award comes with a $1000 grant, for which we are grateful, from the Community Foundation for Monterey County. The grant will provide tuition assistance for one child to participate in YMMC for a year. Why Is Music Important to Mental Health? According to Erin Bailey, music educators are in a prime position to positively affect youth mental and emotional health (https://bit.ly/3d4aldD). In Bailey’s study, teens stated that music participation helps them release or control feelings and cope with pressure, loss, or abuse. Karen, an appreciative parent of an Honors Orchestra musician, provides an example: “My son came home from school on a YMMC afternoon extremely upset because he had failed terribly at sports that day. He was so distraught that both his dad and I drove him to rehearsal. However, we picked up an elated teen. He told us how the music raised his spirits and beyond that, to think through ways he could improve his sports. Thank you YMMC!” Despite the obvious challenges, YMMC provided virtual orchestral instruction during the pandemic. The “Fresh Perspectives” series added more Zoomable opportunities. Creative minds around the world provided events such as inspirational master classes and engaging career oriented interviews. Tricia, a grateful mom wrote: “YMM has had a lot to do with him [my son] staying motivated [during Covid]. While his other music groups have come to a complete halt, YMM has encouraged and given him a reason to keep the music going! We are incredibly grateful. You all, and this organization, have helped my kid and so many others in ways you don’t even realize. Thank you for supporting their mental health by giving them purpose, goals, and reasons to continue on with their music!!” Music Making Connects Us In this critical time, as we move out of the pandemic and students come together in person, YMMC continues to rise to the occasion of supporting mental health. Experiences like South County Strings students excitement at engaging in the Orchestras’ Spring Retreat Weekend, the camaraderie displayed at the Catalyst Quartet Master class, and the fabulous energy of the season’s final concert, “Magic By the Bay”, where over 100 students took the stage at once, exemplify what making music together can do. Kelly, an alumna, expressed what we hope each musician can take away: “When I joined YMMC, I never expected to also be joining a tightly-knit family of musicians from all walks of life. From trading laughs with the brass section, to sprinting home last-minute for black concert socks with some violinists, to letting dinner go cold and sharing stories till dawn with people I now consider my best friends, I cherish every relationship I’ve forged in these orchestras.”

With the Catalyst Quartet and YMMC's Chamber Players ​ Saturday, April 9, 2022 10:30am - 12:00pm Carpenter Hall, Sunset Center, Carmel Free, no tickets required JOIN US as we welcome back the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet back to YMMC's Master Class Series, "Fresh Perspectives". This is the quartet of the future, performing the works of living and diverse composers. We are honored that they are sharing their valuable time and unrivaled talent with us again. Hailed by The New York Times at its Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” the Catalyst Quartet believes in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagine their programs and projects with this in mind, redefining and reimagining the classical music experience.

Dear Youth Music Monterey County, I want to thank all of you who made our first YMMC Gala, Round Up, such a success this past October. It sold out, exceeded expectations, and continues to draw the admiration of those who attended and our Angel supporters. Thank you to our music students: The woodwind trio; Cayden Bloomer, Sophia Catania, and Stevie Dean who welcomed our guests with beautiful music. Adrea Chavez and Oscar Yanez, each on double bass, for the soulful Haydn piece. Juliet Oliver, on the marimba, who displayed mastery with her performance. David and Josef Elyoussoufi, on cello and piano respectively, a duet between brothers performed so skillfully and with depth of feeling. Alumnist, Peter Mellenger, and fellow musician, Gene Mason, for setting the tone of the event with bluegrass selections. YMMC would also like to thank our parent volunteers for answering the sign up call with needed items, work, and creativity that is crucial to the success of our organization. Thank you again for your support. Happy Thanksgiving to you, your students, and loved ones. Blessings and safe travels from those of us at YMMC Amelia Maaske, Director of Event

Our first YMMC Round Up! was a great success! Thank you to everyone - individuals, sponsors, and businesses - who made this happen. It was wonderful to see so many friends of YMMC, old and new, and we all enjoyed a great evening of California cuisine, fine local wines, and incredible performances by our students. We are filled with gratitude at the outpouring of love and support for our youth orchestra music education programs and your donations will ensure they continue. We hope to see you at our first concert on Sunday, November 14th, at 3 p.m., at the Sunset Center in Carmel. Tickets will be mailed to members of our Angel Network. All others, please click here for the concert information and to purchase tickets.

Hey there! We're gearing up for finally being back in person this season, and we're really excited to welcome new and old faces to our orchestra. Here's some relevant information about rehearsals and auditions. All of the below dates will be put in a Google/ical calendar available for download; check this space or the Musicians page for the link. Rehearsals & Concert Dates YMMC rehearsals take place every Wednesday. The Junior Youth orchestra meets from 4:30 - 6 PM, and the Honors orchestra meets from 6:30-8:30 PM. Rehearsals take place at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley. For our first concert cycle, rehearsals will start August 25th, 2021, and run every Wednesday until the first concert on November 14th, 2021. (Rehearsals for concert #2 will start on November 17th, 2021, the Wednesday following concert #1.) Our concerts take place at Sunset Center in Carmel. They're typically held on Sundays from 3-5 with rehearsal call times in the mornings. More specific information will be sent out prior to the concert date. This year, the dates are: Concert #1: November 14th, 2021 Concert #2: February 27th, 2022 Concert #3: May 8th, 2022 2021-2022 Concerto Competitions Every concert season, some members of the Honors and Junior Youth orchestras prepare a solo concerto to perform to a panel of judges; the winner typically plays their concerto in the next concert (#2 for Honors, #3 for JYO). If you're interested in taking part in a concerto competition, we encourage you to contact our music director, Danko Druško, first: he will verify that the concerto is suitable to play in our ensembles before you begin preparing it. Forms and extra information about requirements are available on the website prior to the competition date, but please feel free to reach out to us with any questions now. Honors Concerto Competition: October 30th, 2021 Junior Youth Concerto Competition: February 13th, 2021 Retreats? In the making! During the rehearsal cycle for each concert, YMM orchestras each year take part in a weekend retreat at Hidden Valley Music Seminars. It's an opportunity to bond with their fellow musicians, take part in rehearsal and sectional intensives, and learn from fascinating guest musicians who come and present their work. Fall Retreat: We're still working on the dates, but this will likely be in early October--stay tuned! Winter Retreat: January 9-10, 2022 Spring Retreat: April 2-3, 2022 Special Events This year, YMM is putting on a Round Up! gala at Hidden Valley Music Seminars, October 3, 2021. It's a season kickoff event with proceeds benefitting all YMMC programs, including our Youth Orchestras, Chamber Ensembles, South County Strings, and Fresh Perspectives series. We'll have entertainment California cookout style--music, food, wine, & nonalcoholic beverages. Please visit our Round Up! page to learn more about sponsorship and admissions for the gala! FAQ Is everything slated to be back in person? Yes! We're planning on meeting in person at Hidden Valley. We'll adhere to any guidelines required by the county/state with regards to masks and social distancing, and we'll keep you posted on any changes. Where can I request tuition and lesson assistance? You can request financial assistance when you register, or jump straight to our tuition assistance or lesson assistance forms. When are auditions? Video auditions are being accepted now through August 18th. We highly encourage prospective students to audition by that date, so they don't miss the first rehearsal, but don't stress if you're reading this after the deadline--we'll assess individual auditions as they come. Any other questions? Don't hesitate to reach out!

1. How did you become interested in the violin and music? When did you know you wanted to make it a career? When my brother was born, my parents made a big deal about my being a big sister. I had seen Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street, and said, 'now that I'm two and a half, don't you think I should have a violin?' They bought me a plastic Mickey Mouse guitar for my third birthday, and I was so mad! It was NOT a violin! I kept asking and they signed me up for Suzuki violin lessons when I turned four. I just always loved it. I have a school assignment from kindergarten where I drew a picture of myself playing violin and wrote that I would be a violinist when I grew up. 2. How has music shaped your life? Do you look back at YMM as a (strong) influence? Music has shaped my life because no matter what I do, I feel bad for not practicing enough and wish I was better at __fill-in-the-blank-violin-technique__! I am innately drawn to problem-solving and obsessive research, and playing music definitely taps into that. In practice and in performance, there is a sense of making constant tiny adjustments based on what is happening with you and your own instrument, what is happening with the players around you, and what is happening in the piece of music you are playing. It feels a little like driving in 3D! I had such a good time in YMM because the friends I made there shared my experience of the joys and challenges of music. But beyond the social aspect, playing in orchestra was so inspiring! I remember playing Tchaikovky's Fifth Symphony in the YMM Honors Orchestra for a side-by-side concert with the Monterey Symphony. Our music director, Vince Gomez, was so passionate about music and demanded that we put our heart into it. Playing the beautiful, soaring second movement of that symphony brought this unforgettable exhilaration. It was so glorious, and an affirmation of my desire to be a violinist for life! I was thrilled when a couple of years ago when Mr. Gomez found my number through the Musician's Union and called to ask if I would play along with a senior citizen's orchestra he was conducting. After more than 25 years, I performed again under the baton of Maestro Gomez, and it was a blast! 3. What are you up to these days? Some of your orchestras are performing during the pandemic. How different is it? I saw a great quote from a musician during the pandemic saying something like, we aren't paid to play music, we are paid to be ABLE to play music! So, we musicians are trying our best to keep practicing. At first, the only "gigs" were recording cell phone videos with a "click" to be synced up in those Zoom video orchestras. It was great to do something, but so unsatisfying to have a click as an ensemble partner, instead of other musicians! Now, I am fortunate to have played several socially distant orchestral concerts. I don't know why, but playing with a mask on is a little disorienting and does seem to make it harder to hear. By far the biggest challenge however is being so physically spread out. In the strings, we aim to play in perfect unison with our sections. The added distance between players makes it harder to hear all around the section, and robs us of the physical awareness of adjacent colleagues we are so reliant on. I had one performance recently which was livestreamed instead of pre-recorded. Even though the audience was at home on their computers, there was a real sense that it was a CONCERT, and that there was no stopping, or fixing anything before the recording was released... the energy in the room was palpable, and so was that feeling of all of us musicians relying on one another to make special moments happen. I didn't realize how different it would feel from a recorded concert, but it was really exciting and beautiful!! From a logistical standpoint, there is no more carpooling or having lunch with friends in between rehearsals, and there is a baseline anxiety of 'was I safe enough?' every time we go to work now. It's more tiring and less fun for sure. I still love going to work but can't wait for a time when the priority can be music-making. 4. Any advice or words of wisdom to our current and future YMM members? Can be for high school, college, career choices, etc. Thank you! Music is awesome because it is physical, mental, interpersonal and spiritual all at once and happens in the moment. Studying music is great practice for many things in life. My advice would be, find a good balance between practicing technique, practicing your music, studying your music and listening to as much music as possible. There are so many great performances and lessons available online now - take advantage of them! No matter what your goals are in playing music, the more you put into it, the more you will receive!

Claps: The click tracks have one last, super important change: there's going to be a sync clap two measures before the piece begins & two measures after the piece ends. Like a clapboard 🎬 on a movie set, this clap helps the video editors sync the completed audio tracks with your videos, so your movements match the sound you're making. Clap specifics: 1. Clap just once 2. Loud! 3. On screen (we should see the impact!) If you happen to play an instrument where it’s quite impossible to take both hands and clap in the time you’re given, find another way to approximate a single, loud, percussive sound. I’ve seen people slap their instruments/legs/cheeks/stands before. Before the piece, you'll hear 4 total prep measures: 1. 2 measures of a metronome giving you the tempo 2. 👏 CLAP 👏 on the first beat of the third measure 3. The rest of the third measure and the fourth measure also give you tempo 4. The piece will start on the fifth measure. After the piece, you'll hear 3 total prep measures: 1. 2 measures of a metronome at tempo (so you can get ready for the clap) 2. 👏 CLAP 👏 on the first beat of the third measure Questions? Feel free to email me about it, I'll be happy to walk you through all the steps. *JYO, you’ve been using SmartMusic for the Tchaikovsky, but it doesn't have the clap programmed; please use the new click track in Dropbox to play it instead. Hidden Valley Concert Recording Information Yeah, it’s about that time! We’ve opened up a good amount of recording windows this set; please sign up ASAP so the office can contact you with a schedule. The times are: Wednesday, February 24th from 3-5:15 PM Monday, March 1st from 3-9 PM Tuesday, March 2nd from 3-9 PM Wednesday, March 3rd from 3-9 PM You’ll be asked to indicate which hour blocks you’re free within these times. The office will contact you to assign a 40-minute recording window that works with you. A couple things to remember: 1. Please be prepared as if you're playing a concert! 2. Bring a device and headphones in order to play with the click tracks. 3. No dress code. Home Concert Recording Information If you’re going to be recording at home, please make sure you're thinking about these guidelines: 1. Record in horizontal orientation 2. Highest audio quality possible 3. Remember the clap! 4. No dress code. Links to the Dropbox file requests are above in 'Resources’ or on the website. If you're recording at home, please make sure to get the recordings in by Friday, March 5th at the very latest.