Hello to the Charlotte Mason community.

My name is Allan Halbert, and I am in the process of starting an orchestra for the DFW home school community. My background as a music director/conductor includes work with professional, community, and youth orchestras.

I view the orchestra as a great opportunity in teamwork, mentoring, dedication to improvement, exposure to masterpieces, and of course, enjoying ourselves.

An idea I’ve been considering, depending on turnout, is including parents as players. This would create a family orientation similar to the Suzuki string method. However, if there are sufficient youth players to form the orchestra, I would consider doing something seperately for musical parents.

At this point I am gathering contact info of interested players. I am looking for youth with a practical minimum of 2-3 years of training on an instrument other than piano. (We’ll add piano later — keyboard parts appear in about 1/4 of orchestra literature.) There is no minimum age requirement. It’s a matter of desire, maturity, and capability. When I have a list of 20-30 players, I will arrange auditions, set up a website to communicate through, and determine a rehearsal location and schedule. I envision a schedule corresponding essentially to the school year, with periodic recitals/concerts. Standard youth orchestra tuition for a year is approx. $500. I anticipate a tuition of about half of that.

A tentative name for the group is North Dallas Home School Orchestra. There are many things to create and organize, and I welcome the participation of parents.

I know you may have many questions, so feel free to call or email me. My phone no. is 541-386-6400. My email is ahalbert@smart-technology.net. I am living in the Oak Park area of Dallas while looking for a home to buy.

Thank you for the opportunity to present the project.