Tune Up Philly - PYO Music Institute
Paul Smith, Director
View GalleryUpcoming Performances

Tune Up Philly offers a differentiated musical curriculum that was created to meet the specific needs of students living in challenging social and economic conditions, with a focus on effecting meaningful community change. The program offers children in underserved communities an opportunity to learn and perform orchestral music and make a true difference within their communities, both through the use of music and through a purposeful connection with others.

Tune Up Philly offers:

  • A differentiated musical curriculum created to meet the specific needs of individual students living in challenging social and economic conditions.
  • The opportunity to work under Director Paul Smith, who has worked tirelessly since 2011 to develop TUP into the successful program that it is today.
  • A focus on true community change, with instruction offered within the most underserved communities/demographics of any Philadelphia area programming.
  • Opportunities for students to perform in locations both within students’ neighborhoods and elsewhere in high-profile Philadelphia venues.
  • Opportunities for students to truly connect across neighborhoods and communities through a large-scale orchestra.
  • Opportunities for students to be impactful on their surrounding community while gaining skills that will assist them in a lifetime of employment outside of performance.
  • A partnership with community members (e.g., Food Trust collaboration) whose presence has positively impacted local business.
  • A forum for connecting advancing students with additional learning and performance opportunities throughout Philadelphia.
  • One-on-one assistance for families enrolling in peer music organizations. Develops skills to succeed in the competitive high-school-application process.
2021 – 2022 Season Repertoire

Folk and Traditional Melodies from Around the World

Large Ensembles from the Orchestral Canon

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