A Dallas Winds Band Camp Success Story
Your applause for the Dallas Winds means the world to us! As we end our remarkable 30th Anniversary Season, I want to remind you that to enjoy high caliber musicians we have to provide outstanding musical training. For over a decade, the Dallas Winds Band Camp has mentored the next generation of musical talent from our public schools.
For inner-city band students like tuba player Juan Alonzo, the Dallas Winds Band Camp introduces them to a world of adventure and opportunity. Juan experienced high quality artistry from Dallas Winds musicians, effective instruction, mentoring, and motivation to succeed. “Band camp allowed me to see the full potential of what I could achieve if I worked hard. I thought that maybe if I keep practicing a lot, I can one day be like this guy on stage!”
And Juan did just that! He applied what he learned at the Dallas Winds Band Camp, which he attended every summer from 7th grade to graduation. “As a first generation Hispanic student from Mexico, I often heard others say that finishing high school was the most that people like me could hope to achieve. Despite these claims, I got into TCU, Baylor, SMU, and UTA,” recalls Juan. This month Juan graduates magna cum laude from TCU where he received a full-tuition scholarship and enrolls this fall in graduate school at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
The majority of Dallas ISD kids can’t afford tuition at other summer band programs, which ranges from $200 to $395. Our tuition is only $25! Dallas ISD provides bus transportation, breakfast, and lunch. Because we spend $200 per student, your investment of $175 per child keeps band camp affordable for inner-city students.
Help make this year's camp a success!
Your support helps these at-risk students to become more fully engaged in music. Multi-year participation in school band virtually guarantees high school graduation! Band students attend college at TWICE the national average! Look what it did for Juan!
