Fees & Financial Assistance
Payment Information
Fees are due by the first day of rehearsals (Dec. 4, 2021). Click the Make a Payment button below to pay online through our secure server. Please consider adding 3% to your payment to cover online processing fees.
If you are applying for financial assistance (see criteria below), please pay $25 for your application and email your most recent tax return and/or a school lunch eligibility letter to gctyo@gctyo.org.
Afternoon Programs
GCTYO offers multiple programs to supplement the main morning orchestra program.
We offer Jazz, Steel Pan, Flute Choir, and Chamber Music to students enrolled in our regular morning program.
GCTYO’s financial assistance program extends to afternoon programs as well.
Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance
No child will be turned away for inability to pay. Financial aid awards are based on the income levels associated with the National School Lunch Program. Applications are due on or before the first day of rehearsals. Please click here for a financial assistance application form: Financial Aid Application Form. You must include a copy of your most recent tax return and/or a school lunch eligibility letter with your financial aid application. All forms must be submitted by the first day of rehearsals with a $25 financial aid application fee per child, which will be credited to your account. Applying for financial assistance does not guarantee that you will receive it. We regret that we can offer financial assistance only for basic membership, snack & retreat fees, not private lesson costs.
Instruments For Loan
GCTYO has a limited number of instruments which could be loaned to GCTYO musicians. Some of the instruments require minor repairs. Please email the Executive Director at gctyo[at]gctyo[dot]org if you need a new or different instrument. Available instruments include violin, viola, cello, string bass, tuba, oboe, French horn, or flute.
Saturday Rehearsal Schedule
Regular Rehearsal Schedule
| Principal | 9 AM-12:15 PM |
| Philharmonic | 8:45-11:45 AM |
| Virtuosi | 9:30 AM-12 PM |
| Percussion | 9-11:45 AM |
| Sinfonia | 8:30-11:00 AM |
| Saxophones | 9:00-11:15 AM |
| String | 8:30-10:30 AM |
| Wind | 9:00-11:15 AM |
| Woodwinds | 9:00-11:00 AM |
| Brass | 9:00-11:00 AM |
| Steel Pan Future Stars | 9:00-10:30 AM |
| Steel Pan Junior Stars | 10:45 AM-12:15 PM |
| Steel Pan All Stars | 12:15-1:45 PM |
| Jazz I | 12:30-2 PM |
| Jazz II | 12:15-1:15 PM |
| Advanced Chamber | 12:30-2:00 PM |
| Intermediate Chamber | 10:45-11:30 AM 11:30 AM-12:15 PM |
| Music Enrichment Class | 11:15 AM-12 PM |
Scholarships
KUBTEC Bob & Dorothy Genualdi Scholarship
We are pleased to provide a scholarship for eligible GCTYO students in memory of Bob & Dorothy Genualdi. Bob & Dorothy dedicated their professional lives to GCTYO and the local music community. The scholarship will be provided through the generosity of KUBTEC, a local high-tech manufacturing company based in Stratford, CT and owned by a GCTYO family.
The KUBTEC Bob & Dorothy Genualdi Scholarship will be awarded to students who meet criteria based upon merit and financial need. Even if you do not qualify for a GCTYO financial aid award, you may qualify for a Genualdi Scholarship.
If you wish to be considered for a Genualdi Scholarship, please submit the Genualdi application (includes a short essay) in addition to a financial aid application by the first day of rehearsals each season.
Applicants will be notified of scholarship decisions in October at which time membership accounts may be adjusted. Preference will be given to students new to GCTYO.
Vincent J. Pezzella Scholarship
We are pleased to provide a scholarship for eligible GCTYO students in memory of Vincent J. Pezzella. Vincent was a member of the Trumbull High School Marching Band and Winter Percussion programs for five years. He went on to pursue music in college at Hofstra University. His life was surrounded by music because of his love for it.
This scholarship will be provided through a fund that has been set up in Vincent’s name to a candidate who loves music as much as he did. It is a way to make it easier for young musicians to pursue their love of music.
The Vincent J. Pezzella Scholarship will be awarded to students who meet criteria based upon merit and financial need. Even if you do not qualify for a GCTYO financial aid award, you may qualify for a Pezzella Scholarship.
If you wish to be considered for a Vincent J. Pezzella Scholarship, please submit the VJP application in addition to a financial aid application by the first day of rehearsals.
Applicants will be notified of scholarship decisions in October at which time membership accounts may be adjusted.
Financial Assistance For International Trip
We expect to be able to offer financial assistance for a limited number of musicians for our international trips. Students will be selected for assistance through an application process.
Eligibility Requirements
Students must meet the following criteria to apply:
- Member of Philharmonic, Principal or Jazz I in the season leading up to the trip;
- Member of GCTYO for at least one season prior to the trip season;
- Junior or Senior in high school in the school year leading up to the trip;
- Never been on a GCTYO international trip;
- Demonstrated need for financial assistance.
- Students applying for trip assistance do not need to qualify for general GCTYO financial aid.
Application Process
Deadline for trip assistance application is October 1. Recipients will be notified of the amount of the award before the early bird discount window closes in the fall.