Homer Youth String Orchestra Club
Spring Fund Drive
Join us in our quest to provide continuing quality classical music education to all Homer area school age students.
Our Spring Fund Drive helps fund guest instructors like Dr. Bryan Emmon Hall.
Thanks to your donations, Dr. Hall will be inspiring our members on May 1 & 2.
Dr. Hall will be leading workshops for HYSOC during the weekend of May 1-2 here in Homer. He is the concertmaster of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, conducts the Fairbanks Youth Symphony, and is on the faculty of UAF as violin/viola professor as well as the pedagogy coordinator. He has taught at several Suzuki Institutes including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Honolulu, and Bali, as well as many other festivals around the world. Performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and section violinist in orchestras in many countries, Brian also has his own Persian Classical/Rock band called Tehranosaurus that tours internationally.
Bryan is thrilled to be visiting Homer for the first time this spring and is looking forward to working with students in our youth strings programs and experiencing first hand what makes our community so unique and inviting for educators and adventurers alike.
The Mission
To foster the orchestral arts for Homer area Youth
Our Goals
Master Skills
To teach students to master skills that will enable them to perform music well on their chosen instrument, leading to lifelong enjoyment and personal fulfillment through music.
Decision Making
To teach students to make decisions in situations where there are no standard answers.
Self-Expression
To develop students’ understanding of and appreciation for music as a vehicle for creative self-expression and as a key to understanding past and present human experience.
Nonverbal Communication
To teach students to analyze and interpret nonverbal forms of communication and make informed judgments of cultural products and issues.
Respect Others
To teach students to adapt to and respect others’ ways of thinking, working, and expressing themselves.
Problem Solving Skills
To teach students artistic modes of problem solving, which bring analytical and developmental tools to every situation.
Message from our graduating Senior
Iris Downey
HYSOC has played a pivotal role in my growth as a musician as well as my growth as a person. I have been a participating member for over 6 years and during this time I have gained courage playing in an ensemble, performing in front of small and large audiences and learned many skills as a performing artist.
As a young musician HYSOC enabled me the skills to read and understand the language of music. Through persistence and effort this program has created a version of myself that a younger Iris would be proud of. I am now able to understand, and hope to perform music to a higher degree. HYSOC has been a great spring-board and will continue to be as I further my musical education and career. My built up skills and confidence have allowed me to participate in HHS Jazz Band and Swing Choir. I was able to understand and develop my own musical taste as I explored classical music and other genres in this program.
Playing the bass in an orchestral setting has been a fun adventure. It has been really interesting working in smaller ensembles as a bassist, an instrument that is often not included in small groups. It has been a gift to play along with and learn from some incredibly talented musicians. I have been inspired by Lisa Shallock and Daniel Perry who have provided me with such an incredible experience. My years with HYSOC have allowed me to learn from and perform with many famous artists that have traveled through and live in our community. I was even able to participate in the documentary film Blue Ice.
Over years of knowing other students that have graduated from HYSOC it is a bittersweet feeling. I will miss the past and current students and I hope that future students are able to gain the same experiences that I have.
Join the Fun
Join us for fun and camaraderie
through music!