About the High School Orchestra Program at SOA

The Charleston County School of the Arts is an arts magnet school for students in grades six through twelve. It was founded in 1995 in North Charleston, South Carolina, and it draws students from every part of Charleston County. The small high school has an enrollment of only 600 students, half of whom are in band, chorus and orchestra. Each student receives 90 minutes of daily instruction in their art area. While students are encouraged to get private instruction, private lessons are not required, nor are they part of the school’s course offering. Roughly 60% of the string students take private lessons with local professional musicians. Our mission is to provide an educational experience that produces creative, skilled, and disciplined musicians who perform superior orchestra concerts for the school and community. With the collective efforts of the students, teachers, parents and administration, we can create an orchestral experience that is enjoyable and educational for all.

The high school orchestra program averages around 80 string students per year. The School of the Arts Symphony has roughly 55 string students, plus woodwinds, brass and percussion students from the band program led by Dustin King. Dr. Selby teaches the Symphony and the younger Chamber Orchestra, in addition to three string technique class and a half credit recital class called Senior Thesis.

The SOA Symphony Strings twice performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. Dr. Selby’s orchestras have performed four times at the ASTA National Orchestra Festivals. In 2016 and again in 2023, they won the top prize of Grand Champion at the NOF. Every year, Dr. Selby conducts the School of the Arts High School Symphony and Singers in an annual holiday concert to sold-out crowds at the Charleston Gaillard Center.