The Lake Highlands School of Music is not to be confused with the Lake Highlands School of Rock. But that doesn’t mean it can’t bring the bands together.
Photography by Lauren Allen
LHSM owner and neighborhood native Zach Galindo spent much of his 20s touring as a guitarist for various bands following his graduation from the University of North Texas. After growing tired of life on the road, he switched over to teaching private guitar, piano and voice lessons for up to 50 students at a time.
He eventually hired his first employee in 2015 to help with the workload, giving rise to what would become the Lake Highlands School of Music. With a staff of 30 these days, the school has settled into a 10-room studio at Creekside Shopping Center. It offers piano, guitar, voice, production, drum, ukulele and violin lessons, in addition to audition preparation, for its close to 300 students.
Galindo, perhaps, is most proud of the school’s performance program. With 50 students split among eight bands, he’s helped young musicians create memories of their own on the stage.
“Playing in a band was one of the most amazing experiences for me. It was completely life changing, just like the most potent experience of my life, getting to bring music to life,” Galindo says. “So for me, that’s always been something that I’ve wanted to offer to kids that are interested in that.”
The band members are mostly recruited from among the school’s current students, although there are open auditions. Musicians in the program typically range in age from 10 to 18 years old. They are grouped by age and skill level, with program director Joe James organizing the talent into punk, rock and pop bands.
“We’re fine tuning a little more,” he says. “I try to, if I can, pair based on taste. If I’ve got one kid that’s showing up wearing Slayer shirts, I’m going to try to put him in the band with the other kid that’s wearing Slipknot then.”
James, who writes and produces soul music when away from the school, took over the program two years ago following the departure of its previous director.
He says there are occasions when bands might not agree on everything, but the music normally brings everyone back together.
“Sometimes it’s not so great, sometimes it’s just fine,” James says. “I have groups that fight, groups that fall out. It’s like any working environment. But most of the time, the kids can find some commonality. I think a big part of that is curating music that everybody can find something in. Because no one’s going to be happy with everything. It’s a group full of 13-year-old kids.”
A venue he and Galindo recently got his bands into was the performance stage at Oktoberfest Dallas. On Sept. 27, almost all of the bands jammed out on Flag Pole Hill for Lake Highlands neighbors.
One of the bands who played at Oktoberfest has spent the majority of their time in the program with him — the first such group he’s had. Seeing them perform was a moment that put things into perspective, he says.
“Two of them worked with (the previous director) in the past, but they were pretty young. So this is the first advanced group I’ve had. They have a very special place in my heart. We’ve grown together. We have fought. I have lectured them often, maybe a little too much. And anyway, (that) Saturday, they really just trusted me. It felt really good. It kind of reminded me why I’m here.”
