Parents and teachers have the opportunity get a glimpse of the life of an orchestra student through the parent-teacher orchestra.

“We are teaching them based on what a standard sixth grade Frisco student would be learning, so we’re basing it slightly off of the curriculum from sixth grade, but we’re starting from scratch and teaching them from there,” assistant orchestra director Victoria Lien said. “We wanted to see more parents being involved in orchestra and create a bigger community within the parents, so hopefully they can have more friends, but also allow them to understand what we do for the kids and what the kids do from day to day when they’re practicing.”

The program allows parents to explore part of their student’s life and understand the devotion they put towards playing an instrument.

“At first, I thought that a ‘parent orchestra’ was kind of dumb. But, after the first practice my mom came home and she wouldn’t stop talking about the viola,” freshman Sarah Boutouis said. “I’ve learned to appreciate that she’s taking time out of her day to take part of something that I love.”

For parent Jacqueline Boutouis, the parent-teacher orchestra offers the opportunity to apply creative thinking in a fun and enjoyable way.

“So far so good. I think I will need to use a part of my brain that I’ve not used ever or in a long time,” parent Jacqueline Boutouis said. “It would be nice if more parents joined.”

The program creates a deeper appreciation of the commitment and hard work that comes with being part of the orchestra.

“Learning music isn’t all about getting the correct notes and rhythms. It’s about dedication and determination,” Sarah Boutouis said. You can’t expect to succeed without mentally pushing yourself to do better. This program will benefit parents by having them learn how to not give up, even when things are tedious.” In the end, Lien hopes that parents and teachers will get to showcase their progress through a joint concert and that they leave the program with more knowledge on the instruments they learn.

“The ultimate goal for this year is for the parents and teachers to perform with a student and have a side by side joint concert on a piece,” Lien said. “A lot have them have been saying that they have wanted to learn but never had the chance.”  

The parent-teacher orchestra meets every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.