To take part in NCO’s Orchestral Weeks or Weekends there are membership fees as outlined below.
You can also read details on this page of NCO’s Financial Support programme, which helps ensure everyone who is offered a place has the opportunity to take part.
Finally, we’ve provided suggestions of other organisations who may be able to offer financial support.
Orchestral Weeks
The membership fee to take part in two Orchestral Weeks in 2026 is:
Under 12 and Under 13 Orchestras (those aged 11 or 12 as of 31st August 2025) £2100
Under 14 Orchestra (those aged 13 as of 31st August 2025) £2300
Orchestral Weekends
The membership fee to take part in two Orchestral Weekends in 2026 is:
£400
The true cost to NCO of providing a place in an NCO orchestra is more than double the fees above. NCO subsidises activities to keep fees as low as possible and works hard each year to raise the funds which cover the balance.
Our aim is that money doesn’t create a barrier to a child hoping to take part in our activities. We want any young musician, no matter their background or circumstance, to have the opportunity to accept their offer of a place in NCO. It is possible to have all or part of your child’s fees paid for you through our Financial Support programme.
NCO prioritises financial support for families:
Where the child is in state education and/or
Who are entirely based in the UK, with working parent/s (including single parents and/or those who are also receiving benefits to supplement their employment income, unless they are unable to do so on medical grounds/another exceptional reason).
NCO support is means-tested so once your child has been offered a place, we ask for a range of information and supporting documents from those who would like to make an application for support.
For Orchestral Weeks,
NCO will consider providing financial support on a sliding scale (25% – 100%) to families with a gross household income less than c. £80,000.
For Orchestral Weekends,
NCO will consider providing financial support (100% or 50%) to families with a gross household income less than c. £60,000. For Orchestral Weekends only, NCO will also prioritise families who are living a considerable distance from where activity is taking place, as well as being on a lower income.
We will ask you for some information about:
Your finances, including your gross annual income, dividends and company ownership, pension/s, savings and property ownership and any benefits or grants you receive
Where your child goes to school, including whether they are receiving any bursaries or scholarships or are eligible for Free School Meals or Pupil Premium
Your other dependants
Whether you have applied for grants from other sources e.g. charities or your local authority (we recommend this)
Any other circumstances which will affect your capacity to pay your child’s membership fees
As a charity, NCO raises funds to provide financial support to young musicians each year. In a normal year, our Financial support programme has the capacity to support around 10-15% of our members, depending on the level of funding we have raised. There is no guarantee we will be able to offer support for every application we receive, even if you’ve received support from us before. We recommend that you apply to other funding sources alongisde your NCO Financial support application as we are expecting significant demand for support.
If you have any questions about Financial support that you would like to ask before your child auditions for NCO, please email financialsupport@nco.org.uk and we will be happy to help.
Other organisations offering financial support
Below are some suggestions of funding sources we are aware of. Please visit the websites of each organisation for the most up to date information.
The Christine Brown Trust for Young Musicians offers financial support to exceptionally talented young musicians under 19 years of age who are in financial hardship and unable to meet the expenses involved in learning a musical instrument. This may mean contributing towards the cost of lessons, helping to pay for a new instrument, perhaps paying for summer school or orchestra fees – in fact, anything connected with the costs of an instrumental education.
The Wrightson Trust aims to benefit those of secondary school age (Year 6) to 18 years. Reviews are conducted twice a year, with deadlines on 1st February and 1st September. Disbursements include e.g. payment for lessons, choir/orchestra tour fees, music college fees.
This trust provides grants towards school fees and other educational costs for children under the age of 18 who have special skills in music and dance.
Benslow Music offer an instrument hire scheme, and also offer the hire of bows separately. The instruments they currently have available are violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and harp.
Universal Music UK Sound Foundation has helped over 10,000 students, schools and teachers improve their access to music through the purchase or upgrade of musical instruments and/or equipment. They are able to offer support up to £1,500 towards the cost of a musical instrument via an application process.
You may also find that your local music service is able to loan an instrument to you, and there are several other instrument hire services available, found by searching for ‘music instrument hire’ in your search engine.
CATS are Centre’s for Advanced Training and they provide supplementary funding for specialist music tuition and ensembles. They are sometimes based at music colleges depending on your area but not exclusively.
It is often worth having a conversation with your local Music Education Hub as they are experts in what organisations and opportunities are available in your local area. They may also in some circumstances be able to provide support.
The National Youth Arts Trust can provide financial support towards instrumental lessons (with ABRSM teachers only), musical instrument hire, music ensemble membership and travel expenses.
