WolfBrown Report on NYO2

Researchers from WolfBrown spent six years studying Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 orchestra, a free orchestral program engaging musicians from historically underrepresented communities in classical music. Their resulting report, “With Freedom of Soul to Do and Be: A Longitudinal Study of Young Musicians in Carnegie Hall’s NYO2 Orchestra,” offers an insider’s look into what makes a youth orchestra truly inclusive. The report details how NYO2 embeds inclusive practices at every stage of youth experience, beginning with the application process. NYO2 and other orchestras who prioritize inclusion are looking not only at musical excellence but at what value their ensemble offers to participants and who most stands to benefit. How do we know their model works? Youth involvement, especially those from underrepresented communities, doesn’t end when they age out of the program; many of them continue to give back to the next generation of young musicians. (One such NYO2 project has been the creation of an online video archive to help future applicants succeed in their auditions.) You can sign up to receive WolfBrown’s free publications and read their latest issue, including the full report, at their website.