(Photo: Edwards Elementary fifth-graders Rebecca Decker, right, and Brinsley Jenkins, left, were among the students from Junior Orchestra of Yamhill County (JOY) who performed at the School Board meeting on Nov. 14. One of their JOY Teaching Artists, Sadie Lapiers, looks on with pride. Watch a video of their performance on our YouTube channel.)
Newberg-Dundee Public Schools’ students are going to experience more JOY than ever next fall.
The Junior Orchestra of Yamhill County (JOY) announced on Feb. 27 that it pledges to keep growing in the community and will be available at the Kindergarten level at Joan Austin Elementary in the fall of 2024.
What Is Joy?
The program provides instruments and JOY Teaching Artists to assist participating schools' music teachers in instructing the students on the art of playing a string instrument, such as the violin, viola, or cello. K-1 students learn how to hold a tissue box violin in music class, and students in Grades 2-5 are offered an after-school program in which they can borrow wooden instruments.
Joan Austin Music Teacher Janet Clark worked hard to arrange JOY's debut at her school.
"This is an incredible opportunity for our students to have a hands-on experience with instruments from the strings family," Clark said. "I am hoping this will be the first of many stepping stones for our students to enjoy, learn, and experience music in a real, tangible way."
Principal Ashley Lee said that she is thrilled with the addition to her school.
“I am so excited to have this program come to Joan Austin,” Lee said. “This program will bring many opportunities to students in our community. Engaging in instruments at an early age is a great way to get students excited about music early on.”
Where Else Is the JOY Program in Our School District?
JOY opens its programs at the Kindergarten level at all its new schools, adding a new grade level each year. In this district, JOY appeared in 2017 at Edwards Elementary School, where it is now present in all grade levels. JOY expanded to Crater this school year and will be available in grade levels K-1 in 2024.
“We plan to continue expansion annually until all NDPS elementary schools are participating,” said Alyssa Johnson, Executive Director, “We appreciate the continued support and are excited for the future!”
Meanwhile, there are resources for not only elementary school students but older children as well. For students in grades 4 to 8, JOY is offering a music camp called the Honor Orchestra this April 26 to 27. Learn more on the group’s website.
How Is JOY Able to Keep Growing?
JOY, founded in 2017, also exists in McMinnville, and the dream is to install it in every school in Yamhill County, supporting the middle school music programs with even more young players. The program's continued growth may also be attributed to the strength of its parent organization. JOY is one of two programs within the purview of Yamhill Enrichment Society (YES) YES is a nonprofit that, through a partnership with Dolly's Imagination Library, also offers the Yamhill County Imagination Library (YCIL). YCIL provides free books to children in Yamhill County, ages birth to 5. To support its programs, YES, a nonprofit organization, holds an annual culinary fundraiser in the summertime called the Bounty of Yamhill County.
This success may also be related to the happiness that JOY brings to participants like Edwards fifth-grader Brinsley Jenkins, a violinist in the JOY program at her school.
“Their program is really awesome and amazing and has really helped me with confidence and in life," said Brinsley before performing with other Edwards fifth-graders in the JOY program during a School Board meeting on Nov. 14, 2023. “JOY is a great extracurricular program. The teachers are amazing, and they help me a lot."