Free lessons remove barriers for students

Representatives from Dallas Symphony Orchestra taught music lessons at several Dallas ISD elementary schools during the summer. Students learned the basics about reading music sheets and interacted with a variety of instruments, most of them for the very first time. “DSO organized the first Youth Concert for Dallas ISD students almost 100 years ago,” said Jamie Allen, DSO director of education. Since then, both entities have collaborated to supplement the district’s music curriculum with high level concert training and experiences that are not otherwise available. “For young musicians, the overall goal is to provide those students who want to play an instrument with lessons free of charge,” Allen said. “We want to remove all barriers to making music as it provides so many opportunities artistically and beyond.” DSO hired more than a dozen highly-trained professionals to teach daily music lessons. Students had their own instrument and were allowed to take it home for practice. The Young Musicians Program is a collaboration between DSO and Dallas ISD’s Extended Learning Opportunities. — Dallas ISD Staff Reports                        

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