Meet Damia Cleaver | Executive Director and Instructor with the Youth Symphony of Denton

We had the good fortune of connecting with Damia Cleaver and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Damia, how does your business help the community?
As a provider of music instruction and guidance, we help young students grow in their performing abilities and create future audiences for Symphonies around the world. In our community, we offer inexpensive concerts performed by our students, preform some free concerts in under privileged neighborhoods, and encourage all people to stretch out of their comfort zone and learn to play an instrument. We also offer field trips for our student to neighboring professional Symphony concerts to help grow their knowledge and love for music.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While there are many Youth Orchestras in the metroplex, we pride ourselves in looking out for the whole student, not just their music. We scholarship many students so that they are able to participate in our orchestras. We love watching them grow through the years of participating in our program.

Personally, I have struggled for years with physical challenges that make being a professional musician difficult. I have played professionally for over 20 years but am no longer able to due to arthritis. It gives me such joy to be able to pour into the next generation of performers and to know that my musical life lives on through them.

For years I was in a different field of work. In that field I learned about administration. When starting the Youth Symphony, I used many of the things I had learned in that field to help start the group. I learned that nothing in our lives is wasted. We may move from career to career, but we learn and develop new skills in every situation that we carry with us to the next experience. I am grateful for all of the experiences I have had in my life and thank God for them all.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Denton, the Square is an interesting place with lots of great restaurants. Denton also has lots of musical opportunities that we could take advantage of. We are also close enough to Dallas and Fort Worth that we can enjoy their professional symphony orchestras.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I was in public school, I was encouraged to join the orchestra by Mr. Carold Nunez. He was my teacher from 5th grade to my senior year in high school. He encouraged me to work hard, was very supportive and made orchestra class the best part of each day. As an adult I saw him a few years before he died, and he asked me when I was going to start leading an orchestra. I was currently a private music teacher and not working with groups, as I did not have my music education degree. A few years later we formed the Youth Symphony of Denton, and I had my orchestra to work with. I feel Mr. Nunez would be proud of what we have done. I owe my life to him.

Website: https://youthsymphonydenton.com

Instagram: youthsymphonydenton

Facebook: The Youth Symphony of Denton