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Founder of TISMAC urges Dallas to host citywide after-school music program for Southern Dallas youth
Summary
Dr. William D. Allen described a plan to use Dallas Parks and Recreation centers to run an after-school music and mentorship program serving students across the city, asking for priority access to space, instruments, uniforms, storage and modest operating support.
Dr. William D. Allen, founder and chief executive officer of TISMAC (Texas Supremacy of Music and Arts Conservatory), asked the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission to support a city-hosted after-school music program that would be based at Dallas Parks and Recreation centers and open citywide.
Allen told commissioners that TISMAC served more than 1,500 students at 59 schools last year, that 98% of its students passed all classes and graduated, and that 90% enrolled in college, the military or trade school. He said students logged about 850 hours of rehearsal and performance, and that the program secured $3.3 million in scholarships last spring and is “tracking” $5 million by summer 2026. “We just don't teach notes,” Allen said. “We teach discipline, responsibility and... from 3 to 6 p.m., too many kids have no structured place to go as budgets tighten; arts are cut first.”
Allen outlined a program model he described as a city-hosted, Dallas Parks and Recreation–based after-school conservatory: Monday–Thursday 4–6 p.m. priority access, instruments and uniforms provided where needed, daily instructors and mentors, secure storage and modest operating support for instruments, uniforms, buses and snacks. He said advanced students would serve as paid junior coaches and that TISMAC would report quarterly on enrollment, attendance, GPA changes, incidents and scholarship outcomes.
Commission leadership thanked Allen for the presentation and asked commissioners to take his brochures and contact information for follow-up. Allen said he is working with Dallas council members and local partners and that TISMAC has relationships with South Oak Cliff High School and other sites in southern Dallas.
Why it matters: Allen framed the proposal as both a youth development and public-safety measure — keeping children in supervised, skill-building activities during after-school hours — and requested operational supports city departments typically control: access to recreation centers, storage, fee waivers and modest operating funding. The commission did not take action on Allen’s request during the meeting; the presentation was a public comment and an invitation for staff and commissioners to follow up.
