Since 1985, Texas Winds has brought music and friendship to thousands of local residents who would otherwise be left out of the cultural riches of our great city.

Head Start Concerts

Texas Winds is pleased to continue its unique partnership with Head Start of Greater Dallas. We provide performances in all 37 Head Start Development Centers for 2,000 pre-school children. Programs are very interactive and fun for the children, while being educational. It is our goal to enhance the learning experience and plant the seeds for future participation in music by children.

"The Bachman Center serves 272 Bilingual children who would never have this type of musical experience or exposure to the fine arts without this type of outreach." commented its site manager."

The children were spellbound as they listened and experienced the music and individual sounds of the instruments; so different from any other music they have ever heard. Their rapt attention told everyone how the music touched them."


Photo of Concert at Elementary School
-Children feel the music as Jennifer Scriggins demonstrates the hose horn

Music Matters in the Education of Young Children!
by Elizabeth Nicodemus
Education Coordinator, Head Start of Greater Dallas, Inc.

I consider my job as an Education Coordinator with Head Start of Greater Dallas, Inc. a great privilege. Every day I am an active participant in young children's growth and development. This aspect of my job has been greatly enhanced through my involvement in the Texas Winds Musical Outreach Head Start concert Series.

For those of you, unfamiliar with the world of early childhood education let me clarify one point. Music matters in the education of young children! Research in both developmental psychology and the education of children ages 0-8 years underscore the importance of making music an accessible part of the early childhood classroom.

By participating in the Texas Winds concerts, Head Start children:

I recall the percussion concert I attended at the Socorro Gonzales Head Start center. While Greg and Joe were telling the story of The Little Engine that Could and using the percussion instruments to act as characters in the story, I began to reflect on the deeper learning experience that was unfolding before the children. The music was reinforcing such logical, perceptual ideas as beginning and ending, cause and effect, sequence and balance, harmony and dissonance. Mathematically speaking, each Texas Winds concert provides our children with concrete examples of counting, enumeration and timing.

The Texas Winds' concerts broaden our children's cultural experiences. Because many Head Start children are at-risk (low income, single parent households, English as a second language, etc.), these concerts are a rare opportunity for them to experience live classical music. Many of our children's musical experiences are limited to radio and television. By coming into our centers and sharing beautiful music with our children, Texas Winds provides developmentally appropriate music education to some of Dallas County's neediest ears!