The TA violin and strings classes were founded in 2010 and have continued to grow each year since that time. The program started with total beginners in 3rd and 4th grade and has successfully grown into an intermediate middle school strings ensemble.
Over the years the students have performed in numerous concerts and even performed at events such as the annual TA Gala event, TA Lantern Festival, and also for Grandparents Day.
Some of the goals for the group include performing for a competition and also planning a middle school trip. A long-term goal for the program is to have an advanced upper school ensemble, in addition to the middle school and lower school groups.
The Strings Ensemble is under the direction of Ellen Grant. Ellen Grant is a native of Atlanta, GA. She started her violin studies at the age of eleven in her school strings program. She immediately fell in love with the violin and upon graduating from high school received a scholarship to study violin performance from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. She then went on to earn a master's degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama in 2007. After graduating, she auditioned for the Mobile Symphony and has held a position with that group since that time. In addition, she holds positions with the Pensacola Symphony, Meridian
Symphony, and Tuscaloosa Symphony. In addition to performing, Mrs. Grant has maintained a private violin teaching studio since 2007. Through the years many of those students have gone on to pursue careers in music upon entering college. In 2010 she was appointed as the violin teacher at TA and she officially started the program that year. Since that time she has taught beginning 3rd and 4th-grade violin classes and currently teaches an intermediate middle school strings group as well. She currently lives in Tuscaloosa with her husband, Matthew, and their two children, Samuel and Gabriel.