Conducting a youth orchestra is one of the greatest contributions any conductor can make to the world of music. Youth orchestras build the future of music-making and provide young people with priceless opportunities. Although the majority of students don't take up music professionally, they all benefit in countless ways from playing in a youth orchestra. Apart from all the musical lessons, they learn focus, discipline, and commitment to excellence.

At age thirteen I joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain as a trainee timpanist. At my first concert I was assistant triangle. The experience inspired me to become a professional musician and a conductor. This unique orchestra has an age range of thirteen to nineteen, with no full-time music students. Many so-called youth orchestras include players in their mid- or late twenties, many of whom already have jobs in regular orchestras. This stretches the definition of “youth” beyond the breaking point.

Youth orchestras can attain amazingly high standards because there's plenty of rehearsal time, so long as the students understand that the whole project is about excellence, not just bashing through big pieces for fun. This is the ideal schedule: at the first rehearsal the full orchestra plays through the entire program, however roughly, to get an idea of the pieces and what they need to work on. Then each section meets separately, coached by a professional player, before the full orchestra meets again.