Music making at county level enables young people to develop confidence in a range of musical skills whilst working in a supportive, yet stimulating environment. The activities, experiences, and coaching on offer are designed to support you in fulfilling your musical potential.
County level music making offers you the opportunity to continue your musical journey from regional and/or school ensembles, and helping to prepare you for future opportunities whether that be:
The types of experiences, friendships, and memories made through county music making stay with people for a lifetime.
If this sounds like something you are interested in, then we would love to hear from you!
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The deadline for on time applications for the 2025-26 County Youth Music programme is Friday 29 August 2025. We welcome all applications after this deadline as part of our late applications process. For more information, please see below.
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All new and returning members must complete the online application form to participate in County-level music activities in 2025/26.
Signing up before the deadline of 29 August ensures you have access to a full year of opportunities, any relevant membership discount(s), and the opportunity to apply for principal positions in our auditioned ensembles.
If you have an existing Speed Admin account, please log in with your credentials when prompted, otherwise please create a new account as part of the sign-up process.
When completing your application there will be some short questions about your level of playing experience which you’ll need to complete – this is so we can get to know you as a musician!
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Late applications process
When we receive an application past our deadline, we action it as a late application. For all late applications that we receive, the application/audition process is the same as on time applications.Please be aware that places are limited in each County Youth Music ensemble, in line with the musical requirements for each section.
The County Youth Music team takes into account a range of factors when allocating places for our ensembles, however priority for places is given to on time applications ahead of late applications.
For each of our County Youth Music ensemble, we run a reserve list process for calling up extra players. Successful late applicants may be placed on this list where full places are not available.
Please note that no charge applies if you are accepted to the reserve list. You will be only charged the relevant course fee(s) for the course(s) you attend.
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The Hertfordshire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra are both auditioned ensembles. Preparing and submitting audition tapes is great experience for your musical life after your time in our county ensembles.
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Audition videos are required if you are:
- A new applicant to either of our County-level orchestras
- A member of HSSO wishing to apply for HCYO
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Please note that although you can audition for both ensembles you will only be offered a place in one or the other, if successful.
We look for confident musicians with orchestral experience to join the orchestras. If you have worked on graded exams, grade 6/7+ for HSSO, and grade 8+ for HCYO is a good guide for the playing standard of each orchestra.
Once you’ve filled out the application form and indicated that you’d like to apply for HSSO and/or HCYO, you can begin preparing a short video submission. This comprises of:
- A 3–5-minute piece of your choice (this can be accompanied or unaccompanied)
- 2 x orchestral excerpts provided online, or 2 x approved Trinity excerpts (full details about this can be found on our auditions page)
Our termly fees are set to be able to cover all costs of running our county activities, such as hire of venues, conductors, tutors, and music hire. Our standard fees exclude food, drink, and transport unless otherwise stated.
Commitment to the ensemble is important. We expect all members to commit and be at all courses for the ensemble(s) they sign up for. Our fees are designed to reward this commitment, and so if you attend terms 1 & 2 you will be eligible for the membership discount reflected in term 3.
If you get a place in one of our auditioned orchestras (HCYO or HSSO) and want to also sign up for another ensemble such as County Choir, the Wind Sinfonia or Brass Band then the fee for this extra ensemble will be reduced to an ‘add on fee’, to make it more manageable to join more than one. Please see our table below for all fees.
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Termly fee
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Term 3 annual member fee*
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Add on fee
(for those with HSSO or HCYO membership)
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Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra
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£220 per term
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£118
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N/A
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Hertfordshire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra
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£200 per term
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£98
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N/A
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Hertfordshire County Youth Choir
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£130 per term
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N/A
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£63 per term
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Hertfordshire County Youth Brass Band
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£110 per term
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£63
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£33 per term
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Hertfordshire County Youth Wind Sinfonia
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£110 per term
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£63
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£33 per term
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* Only members who have attended and paid for terms 1 and 2 are eligible for this term 3 discount.
Fees are invoiced at the beginning of each term. Please note that once your place has been confirmed for the year, you’ll be automatically invoiced each term unless provide advanced notice at the earliest opportunity for any courses you cannot attend. Providing this advanced notice allows us to offer places to other young musicians on our reserve lists.
Financial assistance
There are opportunities for those who meet criteria for some financial assistance schemes. Please get in touch with us at countyyouthmusic@hertfordshire.gov.uk if you would like further information on how to apply, and to find out if you are eligible.
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