The Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2013. The Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra inspires and prepares students to become passionate leaders in their community or school programs by being a good example through music preparation, listening to instructions, ensemble awareness, and enhancing their musical knowledge and instrumental skills. Families involved in the Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra participate in a Fair Share program. Rather than paying tuition, families are shown the expense involved to make the program successful and asked to make a pledge for the year. Advantages of this system include the opportunity for families to pay based on their financial ability without dealing with scholarship applications. Additionally, the fair share program could be used as a tax deductible contribution. Key Points: - Allows any student who qualifies for an ensemble to participate, regardless of the family’s financial circumstances - Removes the need to provide subsidy scholarships that would require more guardian information and paperwork - Allows payments to be treated as a donation that can be used as a write-off on personal taxes CMYO partners with many venues and educational institutions in the region. The ensembles performs two to three thematic concerts a year. In addition, CMYO ensembles performs at other events including a lobby performance for the St. Cloud Symphony, collaborate with other ensembles like the Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota, and large scale workshops like the Mark Wood EYS. CMYO offers four ensembles designed to place students based on similar skill levels. Each ensemble requirements continue to challenge the students as they progress in their instrumental skills. To learn more, click the link below to see a scrolling presentation about the program offerings: https://sway.com/mdHp2RLPk302hwQ6