The Suzuki Strings Edge

- "... children taking music lessons improve more over the year on general memory skills that are correlated with nonmusical abilities such as literacy, verbal memory, visiospatial processing, mathematics and IQ"
- Laurel J. Trainor, the lead researcher of a Suzuki method study of children age 4-6 at McMaster University in Canada

Introducing the Suzuki method in the elementary schools affords students an opportunity to experience success with their instruments before entering a
more traditional public school orchestra program in junior high and high school.
The first year began in HEB with just over 180 students to an enrollment
today of over 370 students in seven of the district’s 19 elementary schools: Bellaire, Hurst Hills, Lakewood,
Shady Brook, North Euless, South Euless, and Wilshire.

In the 2005-06 school year, HEB initiated a junior high orchestra program. Students who continue their string training at the junior high level will transfer to Central Junior High School where the district's orchestra program has now been established. From there, students continuing strings at the high school level will join the LD Bell High School Orchestra, formed in 2008.

After a period of growth as a string orchestra program, it is the intent to then add the appropriate wind and percussion players from the band program to create a full symphony orchestra.