Fine Arts Chamber Players'/Basically Beethoven's Music Residencies bring professional teaching artists into Dallas schools for individual and group lessons in violin, voice, and piano. Music instruction is completely free of charge to all students - and school districts - involved, and is provided for a minimum of one year. During the 2024 - 2025 school year, Basically Beethoven teaching artists led 616 individual or group lessons in 2 Dallas schools - and two satellite schools - for about than 38 - 48 students. That’s equivalent to 14 - 16 hours of free music education each week! We would like to do more, but we need your help.
One of our students was featured on NPR's From the Top in March (see story and get link below.)
Basically Beethoven recruits the highest quality teachers for our programs. All teaching artists are local professional musicians with terminal degrees in their discipline.
Basically Beethoven Music Residencies
Currently, Fine Arts Chamber Players / Basically Beethoven has long-term music residencies at the following Dallas public schools:
Uplift Atlas Preparatory
Teaching artists teach an after-school violin program to 26 students in 4th grade at Atlas Preparatory, a charter school in east Dallas. Students receive violin instruction and music theory lessons at no cost. Basically Beethoven provides each student a violin and instructional materials, and also helps to coordinate field trips to symphony performances and arrange master classes by local artists.
David W. Carter High School*
Voice and Piano
Basically Beethoven subsidizes 4 teaching artists in voice and piano to supplement the existing music program at Carter. These teaching artists teach private lessons, coach small groups, and even help conduct and prepare large ensembles for concerts and state competitions, both during school hours and after school.
* The Program at David W. Carter High School is sponsored in part from a generous donation from Virginia & Robert Dupuy
Satellite Schools (Floating)
Basically Beethoven subsidizes 1 teaching artist in piano to provide private lessons for exceptional students at schools like Madison High School and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
2025 - One of our Basically Beethoven Music Residency students was featured on NPR's "From the Top" in March 2025. “From the Top” is America’s largest national platform celebrating young classically-trained musicians and is broadcast on WRR in Dallas, Saturdays at noon.
Basically Beethoven's Music Residency program entirely subsidizes professional teaching artists in Dallas schools that lack robust music programs. Students take private or group lessons in voice, violin, and piano at no cost to them or to the school district. Everything is paid for by you, our generous donors and grantors.
Tinashe McGowan has been studying with Basically Beethoven Teaching Artist John Tatum for years, including weekly private lessons sponsored by FACP/Basically Beethoven board of directors, patrons and donors, such as Virginia & Robert Dupuy, whose dedicated donation is invaluable to the program’s success.
You can listen to this performance via the "From the Top" website - show 460. His performance of Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20 by Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) opens the broadcast. He then joins host Peter Dugan for a short Jazz rendition of "The Nearness of You."
How to Help:
Our Music Education Residency program costs about $30,000+ per year. The lion’s share of this pays teaching artists’ fees, with a small amount going to children’s violins, sheet music, and small sundry items. Administration for the program runs an additional $8000.
Several of our present teaching artists were FACP students themselves, and have returned to Dallas to teach after achieving advanced degrees in music, including Crystal Haynes (voice) and Kenoly Kadia (piano) who just joined us.
If you would like to help students like Tinashe and keep professional musicians like Crystal and Kenoly working in Dallas, please support this program either individually or through a corporate or business sponsorship. Executive Director Morgan Vaughan would be grateful to speak with you about this at any time.
2022 - Congratulations are in order for FACP’s Music Education team and the music team at David W. Carter School for winning a $5,000 grant from The Grammy Museum Recording Academy.
David W. Carter School is one of the Dallas schools where FACP has music residencies. Carter Teaching Artists are Arielle Collier (Voice) and John Tatum (Piano). FACP’s education at Carter is largely sponsored and by
Virginia & Robert DuPuy.
Mr. Demetrius Ethley, choir teacher at Carter, said:
“About a year ago, someone from the Hoesterey Family Foundation had taken notice of the work being done at Carter and chose us.”
Ethley said that Grammy Museum Recording Academy provides grants to public school music programs that demonstrate a need and a compelling plan to address that need. This program is presented through the generous support from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation, and Brian Hoesterey.
FACP is honored to have been part of the success of this program - and applauds the incredible work of Ms. Collier, Mr. Tatum, and Mr. Ethley - including FACP’s Production Manager Jeff Tullis, who coordinates our Music Education program. We also warmly congratulate Virginia DuPuy, who works incredibly hard to keep music education in Dallas schools.
Meet our Teaching Artists
Our Teaching Artists are professional musicians
dedicated to Music Education.
This section is under construction as we begin the new school year
Thank you for your patience.