The population of Connecticut College’s New London campus gets significantly younger on Sunday evenings when local student musicians fill the campus for their weekly rehearsal.

The Thames Valley Music School, which is housed at Connecticut College and started in 1976, provides an outlet for students from elementary school through high school to play across district lines and grow as musicians.

Mark McCormick, assistant professor of music and assistant director of the youth symphony program for high school musicians, said students have gone on to perform at the state and regional levels as well as attend top conservatories.

“The idea was to create a top orchestra in the area where the young musicians could really thrive, and consequently they have,” he said.

Sandy Dombrowski, who has a son and a daughter in ensembles with the school, said it has been a great opportunity for students, especially when schools are losing the funding they need to support orchestral programs. She said she has noticed an improvement in both of her kids’ performances, and it has helped her son prepare for auditions for other ensembles and festivals in the state.

The programs are intense, but they aren’t just for kids looking to pursue music careers. McCormick said alumni have gone on to a variety of schools and all have been successful.

“Music is such a great training for students who want to achieve any career path,” he said.

The youth symphony concert will be held at 3 p.m. April 10 at Evans Hall on the Connecticut College campus, 270 Mohegan Avenue in New London. The concert is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed.

For more information about the Thames Valley Music School, call (860) 439-2749 or email tvms@conncoll.edu.

a.hutchinson@theday.com