Getting started guide:

Browsing the directory of community orchestras.

Jump onto the site and start searching for community orchestras in your area. Use the list or map view to learn more about each orchestra and see if they are seeking players.
You can also see all the public events posted by community orchestras that you can attend.

Step 1: Joining as a new user - its free.

OC is password-less by design as part of our focus on your safety. That means you never need to fear loosing your password or having it exposed. So how do you join? You can either provide an email address to which the system sends a Magic Link each time which will allow you to log in, or you can authenticate via one of the major services such as Google, Discord, Apple or Microsoft. Once authenticated you will access the application as an Unverified user. This will let you access the New User Chatroom, read system announcements, and apply to join local community orchestras in your area looking for members. Before you do, now is a great time to update your profile details, set a backup email address for account recovery and link additional authentication services should you wish so you never loose access to your account. All users will remain unverified until they join an orchestra, that is how we ensure the verfied users of the site are real musicians, just like you.

Note: If your community orchestra is not listed in the directory, you can submit it for review. Ideally this should be done by one of the executive of the organisation, and we will be contacting them to verify the orchestra's detailed.

Step 2: Joining your orchestra.

If you are already a member of an orchestra in the directory you can hit the [Apply to Join] button and an administrator in your organisation will approve your access to that orchestra once they have verified your identity. Make sure to set you real name in your profile so they know who you are - your real name is only visible to members of your orchestra, not the wider community. At this time you can also indicate the instruments you play, which helps your librarian prepare your music. 

Once approved you will become a verified member on the site, and you will be able to access the private portal and the private chatrooms for your orchestra. Here you can see the members of your orchestra and the instruments they play and the private calendar for your orchestra, listing events such as rehearsals, concerts, meetings and workshops. You are able to indicate your attendance for any of these events (and admins can also track attendance, great for health and safely responsibilities). You can adjust the list of instruments you play, add a link to an online location where your music is stored, and indicate if you can self-print your music if your orchestra supports that.

Joining a new orchestra.

The process is the same for joining a new orchestra. Your application will go to the orchestra administrator for review. They will probably reach out to discuss details with you prior to approving your membership.

Note: If the orchestra politely rejects your application you will receive an email explaining the reason. Be aware that orchestras may not currently have vacancies for the instruments you play, or may have a minimum standard or audition that needs to be passed before being accepted.