So Much for Picking a Smaller Instrument

So much for picking a smaller instrument

When Conor Rammelsberg was in third grade, his school’s orchestra teacher did something simple but life-changing, she played the strings and slapped a rhythm on the body of a double bass and watched a little boy’s face light up.

“Even though I was hoping to interest him in a ‘smaller’ instrument than I played (French Horn), when I saw him with that bass, it was like a light bulb went off,” recalls his mother, Laura. “He took the instrument and started trying it out, and I just knew that’s his instrument.” 

That moment set Conor on a path that would carry him all the way to being granted a nearly full tuition scholarship from the University of Maryland School of Music, where he’ll pursue a double major in double bass performance and engineering this fall. Along the way, the DC Youth Orchestra, and its Talent Development Program (TDP), played a defining role in achieving that dream.

A Challenge Bigger Than the Instrument

The double bass is notoriously difficult to study. The instruments themselves are large and expensive to rent or own. Teachers are scarce. And in Prince George’s County, where Conor attended Duval High School’s Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Technology program, school orchestras rarely offered the level of challenge a serious young musician needs.

“He was a little bored with school music,” Laura says. “Without an outlet where he was really being challenged, his skills would not have grown to the level they are now.”

Conor found DCYOP in 2024 through a fellow musician at the county honors orchestra. It was the mention that the DCYOP ensemble was performing Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony that intrigued Conor and he auditioned and joined the Youth Orchestra that spring.

Although he had weekly lessons with University of Maryland student instructors through its Terrapin Community Music School, Conor was looking for “somewhere I could play real orchestral music and be challenged,” he says.

The Program That Made the Difference

After discovering and applying for the Talent Development Program (TDP) at DC Youth Orchestra, Conor was paired with Richard Barber, the Assistant Principal Bassist of the National Symphony Orchestra and faculty member at the University of Maryland, who reduced his fee to fit within what TDP could provide. This was an incredible opportunity for Conor, as it meant he could receive two lessons a week – one at the Terrapin Community Music School and another as part of the TDP. Having twice the instruction positioned him to meet his performance goals.

The one-on-one lessons transformed Conor’s playing. “I don’t know where I’d be with my college auditions without those lessons,” Conor says. “I worked on different pieces with different teachers. It was the most intensive preparation I’d had.”

For Laura, who had recently navigated a job layoff, the financial support was just as meaningful as the musical one.

“Given my employment status at the time, we couldn’t have afforded those lessons with Rick,” she says. “The TDP really prepared him and gave him the opportunity to continue his musical journey. I don’t think he would have been as successful with the college applications and auditions without it.”

The TDP program made weekly instruction from a professional musician possible, and the results speak for themselves.

More Than Music

Conor was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age seven. For him, music has always been more than an extracurricular.

“When I’m really focused on what I’m playing, I sometimes don’t even notice my tics,” he says. “It’s been an outlet since I was young, and I think that’s part of why I love music so much.”

He also sees a natural connection between music and his engineering studies — both require critical thinking, precision, and understanding how complex systems work together.

“Engineering and music are related in more ways than people would think,” he says.

Beyond the technical, DCYOP gave Conor a community. Through his TDP lessons at UMD, he got to know students in the bass studio, which will give him a head start as he begins his freshman year in the fall.

Conor also just completed his Eagle Scout project, having built movable benches for the Bacon Ridge Natural Area, closing out his senior year with many accomplishments. His hope is to be a professional musician and have engineering as a back up, if needed. There’s no doubt he will make his mark in the world and that music will remain part of his life.

A Message to Supporters

For families considering the Talent Development Program, Laura’s advice is straightforward: “If your child has the drive and is ready for the time commitment, there’s no reason not to do it. The benefits are real.”

And for the donors who make programs like TDP possible, both Conor and Laura are clear about the impact.

“Thank you for giving this opportunity, not just to our family, but to every student in the program,” Conor says. “It helped me more than I can say.”

Adds Laura: “I know Conor isn’t the only kid with genuine talent and a real love of music who needs support to keep going. Programs like this keep these musicians in the pipeline. We are so grateful for all DCYOP has given us.”

 

Conor is among the DCYOP students whose paths have been shaped by donor-supported programs like the Talent Development Program. Students like Conor are proof of what’s possible when young musicians get the right support at the right time.