Once a week, a small group of stringed-instrument-wielding musicians from every corner of SMU gets together in the choral hall of Meadows School of the Arts to make music in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. That group is known as Mustang Strings, a new orchestra that’s being offered for the first time ever at SMU this year.

For those who haven’t heard of it, Mustang Strings is open to anybody who wants to join. It meets on Tuesday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to rehearse, and presents a small concert at the end of the semester. Mustang Strings is a very diverse group, consisting of undergraduate and graduate students in numerous areas of studies. Everybody has experience playing instruments, and the orchestra plays a wide variety of classical and contemporary pieces.

Here’s my story of how I came to join and love Mustang Strings:

I have been playing the violin since I was 11. I started in the introductory sixth grade orchestra program at my school and progressed through middle and high school until I made my way to the top orchestra in the school district in 11th grade. I devoted many hours of rehearsals and individual practice to perfecting my technique with the violin, but I knew that I never wanted to make a career out of it.

I faced a predicament when I began planning for college. I wasn’t going to major in music, but I was still very passionate about playing the violin and didn’t want to throw away all the time I had spent practicing by simply abandoning it.

What options did I have? I could take my violin to school and practice my own music alone when I had the chance. Or I could leave my violin at home, pick it up over breaks and try to revive my old skills every now and then. Neither option was very appealing.

Then I heard about a new group called Mustang Strings that SMU was offering for the first time, and its first semester happened to be my own first semester at SMU. I joined immediately and became a member of the first ever Mustang Strings orchestra last fall, with about a dozen other students who, like me, wanted to continue playing through college.

Like most other college kids I know, I have a pretty hectic schedule. Going to Mustang Strings once a week gives me a chance to put aside all of my physical and mental stress, and just focus on making music. I find the whole experience relaxing and energizing, and I always leave rehearsal feeling refreshed and ready to take on even the most daunting pile of homework.

Having this opportunity to continue playing violin has also helped me in my studies as a dance major. By paying very close attention to the nuances of a piece of music and studying it more closely as I learn to play it, I can form a deeper connection between music and dance in the studio later.

All in all, Mustang Strings is a great experience for any string player. Our group started out very small, but we are continuing to grow as the program gradually gains publicity, and we hope to gain even more members with every new semester. So if you miss playing in an orchestra, come join us next semester for music and fun.

Monica is a freshman dance major and arts management minor.