Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Douglas.
Hi Adam, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had a very multifaceted upbringing. I was raisied in Oak Cliff but attended school downtown at First Baptist Academy. For extra-curricular activities, I played little league football for the RedBird Raiders and also took private piano lessons through my school. I grew up with a passion for both football and music, although my passion for music wasn’t fully realized by me at this point; just something I enjoyed doing. My passion for music would fully be realized when I made the decision to attend Townview Magnet Center in 2003. Since Townview didn’t have a football team, and band class wasn’t on my schedule my first semester, that left me with no extracurriculars to participate in – I was content at that time just attending class and getting acclimated to my new school. I owe it all to my friend from middle school football team and band, Gralen Harrison, who told me, “Adam, you aren’t going to be at this school and just sit on all that talent you have; come on to the band hall with me so you can join the band.” From that moment forward, I fell in love with band and music forever!
From Townview, I attended Prairie View A&M University, where I would eventually become a music major and gain instruction and training in music education. While there, I marched in the historic “Marching Storm” marching band, where I would lay the foundation for my passion for marching band and HBCU culture. I also participated in the wind ensemble, brass ensemble, and the inaugural PV trombone choir.
Towards the end my time at Prairie View, I was in need of employment, and most of my friends were getting jobs at a new after-school program at the closest major school district to Prairie View. I didn’t really like working with kids at that time, but I applied anyway and got the job! I was now the assistant manager at this after-school program, and I get thrown in the fire on my first day with the students, and I must say I really enjoyed it. That developed into a 10-year career in childcare and afterschool programming, recently culminating in a corporate-level director position with a major after-school program in Dallas.
After various substitute teacher jobs, music clinics, and other school district positions, I began to see a need in the African-American and Hispanic communities of Dallas – we were behind in music instruction and had no access to affordable supplemental music instruction. I started out just wanting to teach music lessons as an independent contractor, but my wife, Devondria, challenged me to stretch my vision to make it bigger. So, in 2018, I started a nonprofit organization called Ascension Arts Project to fill that need. We started hosting clinics at low-cost with instructors who attended HBCUs and were relatable to the students we serve. There was a pretty good reception to what we were doing, so we stepped it up a notch and began taking students on college trips, then added services from marching band clinics to private brass instrument music lessons. We went on to become Artist-In-Residence with Arts Mission Oak Cliff and co-host a city-wide marching band camp with two other nonprofit organizations in Dallas. This was brought to a halt during COVID; however, we used that time to rebrand our organization and relaunched as DG Fine Arts. In keeping with the theme of “Ascension” and elevating yourself to a higher level, the DG stands for Defy Gravity, encouraging our students and stakeholders to always seek to defy the odds of your situation and achieve more than you or others ever thought you could.
Since rebranding, DG Fine Arts has established a relationship with the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture and has received a grant to host summer marching band clinics. We have also received support from HEB/Central Market and local music educators and have established relationships with key arts organizations in Dallas, with much more in store coming down the pipeline!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been obstacles, challenges, and roadblocks along the way. I always tell people nonprofit work is not for the faint of heart! Coming from my background as a private lesson instructor/clinician and not a traditional classroom teacher, it was very hard to gain support initially. I really had to step outside of my network and create new relationships in the arts world with the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture and arts organizations such as Arts Mission Oak Cliff, TMJ School of Dance, Swan Strings, and others. These arts nonprofit founders and professionals have been a tremendous help in helping me become acclimated to the Dallas nonprofit sector, and I really leaned on them and the consistency and quality of my programming to establish an audience in the city.
There are also general challenges that come with operating a nonprofit such as visibility, board management, volunteer management, and FUNDRAISING. There is no way around these challenges; they just require that you be innovative and progressive in your thinking in order to get through them.
As you know, we’re big fans of DG Fine Arts. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
DG Fine Arts is a 501c3 academic enrichment organization whose mission is to research, record, and preserve African-American music and dance genres through culturally relevant programming and classroom resources for students and teachers in underserved communities. Our core values are Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Artistic Development
We offer private and group music lessons, specializing in brass instruments but offering percussion and dance as well. In addition to private lessons, we have a program called The Bandhead Experience. This program offers enrichment classes that teach fundamental music and band concepts through the lenses of HBCU or show style band culture in a fun and relatable way. Music Theory & Arranging will take an already trending activity in the marching band world (arranging songs) and show students the proper theory and voicing techniques that go into music arranging. Drill Design w/Pyware allows students to blend technology and creativity to learn how to create their own marching band field shows from idea to execution.
We also do marching band clinics, take students on college visits, and have a social mentorship ensemble for euphonium, trombone, and tuba players called The Low Brass Connection, with much more to be announced in the coming months!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I had a range of interests; as mentioned my biggest interests were music and football. I also played basketball, swimming, golf, and tennis lessons. When I wasn’t doing either of those, I was outside with my friends riding our bikes around the neighborhood. As a student, I was very quiet and reserved, usually in the back of the class. I was actively listening and learning, but I would sit in the back in order to blend in. It wasn’t until I got to high school and joined band that I started to break out of my shell and be more social. Through high school and college, I used band and the band hall itself as a safe space where I could be confident and express myself freely.
Pricing:
- Private Lessons – $65/hr.
- College Visit – $55/student
- Low Brass Connection – $55/student
- Group Lessons – $20/student/hr.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dgfinearts.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dgfadallas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dgfinearts
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-douglas-536095a3/
