2025–26 Musician Handbook: Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

Since 2016, GTCYS has deepened its longstanding commitment to excellence and access through equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. We believe that every student brings unique experiences and perspectives that enrich our music community. Our goal is to foster an environment where all students feel seen, valued, and supported in reaching their highest potential—both musically and personally.

We also recognize the historical inequities in the world of classical music and are committed to being part of the change. Orchestras are communities made up of students, families, and educators, and we grow stronger when we come together with both a shared love of music and a shared commitment to equity and humanity.

To advance EDI at GTCYS, we’re actively working to:

• Remove barriers through tuition assistance, instrument support, and private lesson funding

• Increase participation of underrepresented students through programs like Harmony, Launch Lessons, Pathway Musicians, and community partnerships

• Foster a welcoming culture by updating policies, listening to feedback, and evolving to meet student needs

• Diversify repertoire to include more works by women, gender-diverse, and BIPOC composers

• Provide ongoing anti-racism and EDI training for staff, faculty, and board members

Your voice matters. We welcome your ideas and feedback as we continue this important work. What would you like to see? What can we do better? Please reach out to our executive director Megen Balda at megen@gtcys.org—we’d love to hear from you.