The Hershey Symphony currently sponsors two annual programs for youth music education. The annual Young Person’s Concert introduces children (and their families) to the world of instruments and orchestral music. The program comprises a musical program designed for young listeners, a "petting zoo" of instruments, and one-on-one interaction between the children and orchestra members. The performance focuses on an introduction to musical concepts including rhythm, dynamics, and conducting. A major part of the concert is distribution of an activity sheet for take-home learning. This concert is provided at no cost to all that attend and is held at the Hershey Theatre. Declining school budgets have negatively impacted arts education and have created unequal access to sequential musical instruction. This program, unique to the Central Pennsylvania area, provides an opportunity for impressionable young listeners to interact with musicians and to learn first hand the value of music in a child-centered concert.

The Orchestra’s Festival Strings Program provides an opportunity for middle-school children from Central Pennsylvania to meet and form a temporary youth string orchestra, and then to give a formal concert for the public. This program is designed for beginning musicians who are not yet sufficiently skilled to be a part of a formal area youth orchestra. This program fills a void for musicians at this level.