The Dallas Symphony Orchestra Young Strings Program marked its 30th-anniversary last year. Over the last 3-decades, generations of young musicians have learned to play string instruments with the goal of adding diversity to art spaces.
"It changed my life," Maria Guadalupe Vargas Garcia said "Really! Young Strings changed my life."
Vargas Garcia was admitted to Young Strings as a 7th grader at Greiner Middle School in Dallas. Today she is the Greiner Middle School Academy Head Orchestra Mariachi Director.
"If you do what you love it's not work, and that's exactly what I'm doing," Vargas Garcia said. "I was very lucky to be chosen as a 7th grader and from there on, I started lessons with Sho-mei Pelletier.
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Pelletier is Associate Principal Violin with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Her late husband, Dwight Shambley, founded Young Strings. He spent much of his 48 years in DSO as the only Black musician on the stage.
"Dwight's goal was to change the face of the American orchestra, eventually, so there's more diversity," Pelletier said. "There's no better way to sell this program than the children that come to our youth concerts and see a diverse representation on stage."
The award-winning Young Strings Program provides free private lessons taught by DSO musicians. It boasts a 100% high school graduation rate among its more than 5,000 students over 3-decades.
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Vargas Garcia's 10-year-old son, Miguel Garcia, is now a student at Young Strings. He plays the violin, just like his mother.
"It makes me feel good," Garcia said. "Because my mom and dad play instruments too, so I like to think I'm keeping the tradition."
DSO Young Strings offers a summer camp that's open to string players.
