Dallas Public Library music classes expand instrument lending, serve thousands

Tiffany Bailey, manager of the libraryFine Arts unit (Central Arts, Movies and Music), told the Municipal Library Board on March 25 that the Dallas Public Librarymusic program has grown from a single volunteer-led class in 2013 to a multi-branch instructional program that serves roughly 250 students per semester.

The program provides free beginner-focused classes, a standardized curriculum, and an instrument-lending collection that allows enrolled students to check out instruments as they would books. Bailey said the circulating collection now includes about 200 instruments, roughly 47 of which are available for checkout, and that the program has enrolled about 9,000 course enrollments to date (not all unique individuals).

Bailey said the program was launched to increase access to arts education in neighborhoods with higher shares of low-income households and people of color. The program's instruction covers basic technique, music reading, rhythm and ensemble skills; each semester culminates in a quarterly recital. Bailey told the board the program aims to support beginners and to guide students who are ready toward next-step opportunities such as the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

Program growth was enabled by a grant from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission that funded two part-time contract instructors and helped the library purchase instruments for the lending collection. Bailey said class scheduling currently averages 17 classes per week across Central and branch locations, with daytime classes skewing toward adults and homeschool families and afternoons toward school-age children. She said classes generally run about an hour, with roughly 45 minutes of playing time once students are settled.

Bailey described current goals as maintaining full classes, improving regular attendance, increasing volunteer support to one volunteer per branch, expanding programming for seniors, and adding two additional branch locations (South Dallas and West Dallas were named as possibilities, including a Pleasant Grove location). She asked the board to encourage community members to request music programming at their home branch and to consider instrument donations (guitars and ukuleles cited as especially useful).

Board members asked about standards for ending instruction for an enrolled student; Bailey said staff refer students who have progressed beyond the beginner curriculum to other community options. She identified Ondre Salimira, a University of North Texas jazz studies graduate, as the current instructor who has taken over after longtime volunteer Bill Smith retired.

The overview noted program metrics: about 250 students per semester (about 1,000 annually) and roughly 9,000 enrollments since inception; Bailey clarified that the 9,000 figure includes repeat enrollments. She said the program maintains a curriculum binder for consistency across locations and a seasonal instrument maintenance routine.

Ending: Bailey asked for volunteer referrals and instrument donations to support expansion; the board flagged the upcoming Friends of the Dallas Public Library Literary Alliance luncheon on April 9 as an outreach opportunity.