Tune Up! 2024 HPYO Summer Intensive
This year, our Tune Up! HPYO Summer Intensive will be running from Monday, August 19 to Thursday, August 22 from 9:00am to 3:30pm each day.
We wrap up our program with a culminating concert at 6:30pm on the evening of August 22.
About Tune Up!
Tune Up! is a non-auditioned opportunity for young musicians to give the HPYO a try and see if it’s a good fit. If you are already in the HPYO, it’s a great chance to blow the dust off of your instrument and get ready for the new season. It can also be used as a stand-alone summer enrichment program to support your learning on your orchestral instrument. Our program includes full orchestra rehearsals with our conductor David Willms, sectionals and coaching led by musicians from the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, enrichment and wellness workshops, and a chance to get to know other young musicians in a casual, relaxed orchestral setting. Tune Up! is open to any player 11 years and older with 3 or more years of experience on an orchestral instrument.
Players in Tune Up! will all be in the same ensemble, regardless of their level of experience. To achieve this, we will be creating simplified parts at both the intermediate and junior level so that everyone is challenged while also being set up for success!
Click here to see a sample schedule of our Summer Intensive activities. Note that this schedule is provided only to give insight into the possible structure of the week. It is subject to change and will be finalized closer to Tune Up! in August.
Tune Up! Policies and Procedures
Tuition
Tuition for Tune Up! is $250. Participants who join the HPYO for the regular 24-25 season will receive a $25 discount on their HPYO tuition.
Tuition fees are non-refundable except in specific situations related to COVID-19. (See COVID-19 Protocols)
Before and After Care
For an additional fee of $50, before and after care can be made available for those who have difficulty with the pick-up and drop of times. There will be no programming offered during this time, but participants will have active supervision from 8:30 – 9:00am and
3:30 – 5:00pm.
Please note: it is expected that parents drop-off or pick-up their players no more than 15 minutes before or after the programmed day. Players who consistently remain with us beyond the pick-up and drop-off windows will be invoiced for the after-care fee.
Instruments
Tune Up! is an orchestral program. Here are the instruments that fall within that category:
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Double or Upright Bass
- Flue
- Oboe
- Clarinet
- Bassoon
- French Horn
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Tuba
- Percussion
Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate guitar, electric bass, drum kit, keyboards, saxophone players or vocalists.
Meals and Hydration
There are limited food services open on campus during the summer, so please plan to pack a lunch and snacks for each day of Tune Up!
There are water bottle refill stations on site, so please pack a refillable water bottle.
Location
The majority of our programming takes place at Togo Salmon Hall at McMaster University.
Our concert takes place at L.R. Wilson Hall at McMaster University.
Code of Conduct
The HPYO is committed to providing a safe and happy learning environment. Ensuring that every participant is treated with respect and dignity, free from any form of discrimination or conflict is of the utmost important to the HPYO. If a participant behaves in a manner that violates this code, the HPO reserves the right to remove the participant from camp immediately. No refunds (whole or part) will be given for a player who is removed from the program due to a Code of Conduct violation.
COVID Protocols
Participants are encouraged but not required to take a rapid test before arriving for Tune Up!
Any player who tests positive for COVID-19 within a window of 5 days before Tune Up! or during the program, will be asked to stay home and will receive a pro-rated refund for the time they were unable to attend. Refunds will require proof of a positive COVID test.
If a player is symptomatic but does not test positive during the program, we request they stay home for the safety of other musicians until their symptoms improve. When they return, we ask that they mask whenever possible.