Interplay Orchestra is breaking new ground by launching a Youth Program for children and teens with disabilities. Winners of the spring 2026 Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research Grant, the program empowers young musicians to develop their skills, build confidence, and shine on stage.
Interplay Orchestra, a pioneering ensemble dedicated to inclusivity in music, has been awarded a Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research (PRJC) Grant to launch its first-ever Youth Program. For 36 years, Interplay has provided adult musicians with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities the opportunity to engage in high-quality music education, performance, and social connection. With this new initiative, Interplay will extend its transformative model to children and teens, addressing a critical gap in the greater Washington, D.C., area’s music community.
Founded to celebrate the abilities of adult musicians with disabilities, Interplay Orchestra meets weekly at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, and virtually via Zoom. Its members experience a safe, welcoming, and creatively challenging environment where they can grow as musicians while fostering social bonds and self-expression. Interplay has long emphasized the power of music to build community, advocate for inclusion, and showcase talent, not disability.
The Youth Program will offer ensemble-based music instruction for children and teens with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities, beginning with percussion and eventually expanding to woodwind, brass, and string instruments. Participants will benefit from structured rehearsals led by professional musicians and music educators, supported by student and adult volunteers known as “Bandaides.” The program emphasizes socialization, confidence, and belonging, giving young musicians the opportunity to develop their skills collaboratively and demonstrate their abilities in public performances.
What sets Interplay’s approach apart is its focus on artistic and educational outcomes rather than therapeutic ones. While participation naturally provides emotional and social benefits, the Youth Program is not a music therapy program. Instead, students rehearse as a full ensemble, build musicianship, and experience the expectations and pride of preparing for performances. This performance-centered, community-based model promotes teamwork, self-expression, and inclusion while highlighting each participant’s talent.
The Youth Program represents a significant innovation in the Washington, D.C., area, where no other extracurricular program offers affordable, inclusive, group-based music instruction for youth across such a wide age range. By extending Interplay’s 36-year legacy to a younger generation, the program aims to cultivate lifelong engagement in music and create a space where young musicians with disabilities are celebrated first and foremost as artists.
Through this PRJC-supported initiative, Interplay Orchestra continues its mission to demonstrate the power of music to inspire, empower, and connect people of all abilities, while shaping a future in which inclusion, creativity, and talent are central to the arts.
The Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research (PRJC) Grant provides funding for research and innovative projects in music. The next grant cycle for all U.S.-based musicians and musical arts organizations is due on October 1, 2026, offering awards ranging from $5,000–$10,000. Learn more and apply on the PRJC Website.
