Monthly Newsletters - May 2023
Articles for this month include "Need Something Fun & Creative to Do this Summer?" , Student Spotlight - John-Frederick Escher , Student News, and more!...
Need Something Fun & Creative to Do this Summer?
Dear Students and Parents,
It’s hard to believe Summer is almost here! Summer is our busiest season of all with lessons, in-person recitals, virtual recitals, camps, recording sessions, musicals, and of course new students eager to get started in music, dance, and acting classes!
There is SO much going on this month that I’m highlighting the dates below!
May 1 – Deadline to sign-up for the Summer Music Concerts at laapa.com/music-recital.
May 12 – River Ridge Musical Theatre Showcase at Lafreniere Park Foundation Center – 5 PM
May 13 - Want to star in a Disney Summer Musical? Auditions for "Cinderella" Youth Edition are coming up! Learn more and sign up at laapa.com/cinderella .
May 21 – Photo Day at the Mandeville School of Music & Dance from 12 - 4 with Romagurea Photography. Reserve your spot at laapa.com/photo-day .
May 28 – Photo Day at the River Ridge School of Music & Dance from 12 - 4 with Romagurea Photography. Reserve your spot at laapa.com/photo-day.
May 27 – "A Comedy of Errors" at Mandeville School of Music & Dance - Limited Seating. Tickets at laapa.com/events.
May 28 – "A Comedy of Errors" and Northshore Musical Theatre and Acting Showcases at Fuhrmann Auditorium in Covington. Tickets for "A Comedy of Errors" available at laapa.com/events.
In addition to all of our productions, summer is also an incredibly popular time for new students to get started in our wide variety of programs and discover their talent in music, dance and acting!
Parents, now that the kids have been liberated from the confines of their scholastic routines, they’ve got extra time on their hands - and energy! If your children are anything like mine during the Summer, do they appear out of the blue, arms crossed, staring at you (after you just sat down to relax) and ask, “What can I do?” Do they follow you around the house each day asking you, “What can I do now?”and declaring, “I’m bored”? Are they spending WAY too much time texting, playing video games, or staring at computer/ TV screens?
Summer is a perfect time to BEAT THE DIGITAL ADDICTION by playing music, dancing, singing, or acting! Whether you’re interested in our July summer camps, summer musical, or weekly classes - we have a program for you!
If your kids enjoy spontaneously bursting out into song and dance - consider our vocal, dance, and/or musical theatre programs! Do you wake up each morning to the joyful sounds of your son or daughter endlessly pounding away at random notes on the piano? Let us show them how to make beautiful music in your home this summer! Is your child driving you crazy beating on the kitchen pots and pans? How about drum lessons instead? Guaranteed to put all of that energy to good use! We can also recommend some excellent silent drum sets like we have at our schools for a peaceful and happy home!
Already taking a program with LAAPA? The summer is an excellent time to add a program or increase your weekly lesson time. And don’t forget that this July we will be holding four exciting weeks of summer music and dance camps held at our Mandeville School of Music & Dance and River Ridge School of Music & Dance. These camps are especially wonderful for exploring new programs of interest for beginning and current students.
Speaking of our summer camps, each year I often find myself thinking back to some of our first camps when I was a student. We had a blast getting to play all the instruments, doing ensembles, and Friday concerts where parents came to see us perform. That was all great, but for some reason what I remember the most is red Kool-Aid and cookies from snack time. Ah... Good times.
Whatever you do this summer - don’t just sit around - be creative and enjoy doing something new and fun! I hope to see everyone this summer at our many upcoming events!
Ryan Cullen, Executive Director
Calling all Singers, Actors, and Dancers! Want to Star in our Next Big Musical?
Join us on stage this Summer for "Cinderella"! Everyone who auditions will be cast.
Learn more at laapa.com/cinderella.
Send Us Your News!
We love getting your news, success stories and comments. If you'd like to share your news with us, please e-mail at studentnews@laapa.com. Please note that we publish our newsletters monthly, and if you don't see your submission in this edition, it will be published as soon as space is available! Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/laapaface, youtube.com/laapatube, and now on Twitter at @laapatweets.
Recording Studio
Our recording studio is located at the Mandeville campus and features a 32 track ProTools system, 4k video cameras, premium mics and equipment. Click the button below to learn more, schedule a studio tour or Book Your Session today!
Happy May Birthdays!
We'd like to wish the following Students a very Happy Birthday this Month!
Abigail N. (15) , Adam S. (13) , Addilyn S. (5) , Adelaide S. (11) , Alexander D. (5) , Alexis H. (19) , Alyssa K. (17) , Amani N. (9) , Angelina G. (10) , Arrington C. (10) , Aubrey R. , Audrey C. (9) , Aviv R. (8) , Bella F. (16) , Benjamin B. (14) , Bennett R. (9) , Brady D. (15) , Braxton D. (12) , Braxton G. (7) , Brennen D. (9) , Briehanna W. (3) , Cailan B. (10) , Camille S. (11) , Cash M. (7) , Cohen P. (11) , Craig H. , Dania R. , Deborah B. , Deborah S. (10) , Deshawn D. (14) , Devan F. (14) , Drake L. (6) , Elien W. (12) , Elienai R. (9) , Elise D. (11) , Ella B. (8) , Ella H. (9) , Ella U. (11) , Ellie P. (15) , Eloise S. (8) , Emersyn O. (15) , Emma F. (6) , Finn T. (15) , Florence Van Hlawn C. (9) , Foster S. (8) , Gabby M. (10) , Gabriel D. (13) , Gabrielle W. , Genesis R. , Gerod M. (11) , Gigi H. (7) , Grace R. (7) , Graham J. (9) , Grey O. (5) , Gunnar S. (6) , Gwendolyn R. (9) , Hayden W. (17) , Isabella W. (14) , Isaiah G. (16) , Jack L. (10) , Jordan B. (7) , Jordyn D. (7) , Joseph S. (12) , Josie G. (13) , Josue A. (13) , Jude F. (10) , Kaden C. (9) , Kaiulani B. (9) , Karri W. , Kayli P. (12) , Kidd B. (8) , Kyndal C. (15) , Laila G. (10) , Laurie T. , Layla H. (15) , Maddie G. (9) , Madison B. (14) , Maisie C. (3) , Maria L. (7) , Martir S. (10) , Mason D. (25) , Matthew F. (2) , Matthew G. (17) , Micah N. (6) , Michael B. , Michael H. (23) , Michael L. , Natalie B. (8) , Nathan L. (25) , Nolan K. (11) , Olivia B. (18) , Olivia B. (13) , Owen F. (12) , Paloma P. (17) , Peyton C. (16) , Rainah C. (9) , Raymond B. (8) , Rick F. , Roni R. (5) , Ronliyah D. (14) , Rowan V. (11) , Sameen H. (18) , Savannah I. (9) , Shagun A. (14) , Skylar S. (9) , Sophia M. (10) , Stella D. (6) , Suren T. (3) , Sylvia R. (9) , Thomas W. , Vaishant K. (12) , Virginia S. (10) , Warren C. (20) , Wesley S. (9) , William A. (8) , Wyatt J. (9) , Xavier B. (16)
Video of the Month - "Spring 2023 Virtual Recital #1 - LAAPAFEST Performance Series"
Join us for our 4th annual Virtual Recital series for 2023! Students Alex and Cate will be hosting the first of many that we'll be sharing with you over the coming weeks.
Our 2023 Spring Virtual Recitals will be exclusively featuring the live performances of this year's LAAPAFEST participants!
LAAPAFEST is our annual music and dance festival where all students who have been studying in their program(s) for at least one year have the opportunity to perform a solo for a panel of three judges and receive constructive feedback.
Important Dates
Take a moment to review the following upcoming dates:
May 13:
Auditions for "Cinderella" - Mandeville School of Music & Dance
May 28:
Musical Theatre & Acting Showcase - Fuhrmann Auditorium
June 4:
Honor's Concert - Fuhrmann Auditorium
New Artwork by Michaela Howell
We are very fortunate to work with local artist Michaela Howell. Many of her paintings and art are on display at all three of our school campuses!
Michaela recently brought in new artwork that can be viewed at both of our Northshore campuses. The beautiful piece above is available for purchase at our Mandeville location for $850
Interested in purchasing art from Michaela? Inquire at the front desk!
With down home country humble beginnings Michaela has always been very resourceful. She cuts, sands, primes, paints, and in some cases stains her abstract versions of the wooden instruments, creating very hands-on works of art. This resourcefulness has “Played” out very nicely in her most current work. Though the recycling of varying musical instrument components including guitar strings, violin knobs, music sheets featuring the instrument showcased, Michaela portrays a ‘current’ sense of style combined with a very vivid color pallet, creating a symphony for the senses!
Student Spotlight - John-Frederick Escher
This month’s Student Spotlight showcases Covington School of Music student John-Frederick Escher. He takes voice lessons with Mr. Nicoli, and he’s been with LAAPA for 11 years!
Outside of LAAPA, John-Frederick loves walking on the Lakefront, riding his bike, singing, and listening to music. His favorite artist is Paul Stanley, and his favorite band is KISS. His future goal is to be a rock star.
John-Frederick loves taking lessons with Mr. Nicoli because Mr. Nicoli is “a great piano teacher and musician”. He likes coming to LAAPA because the faculty and staff are always so friendly! Thanks to music lessons, he’s learned how to perform on stage and shine in recitals. His favoirte part of lessons is doing vocal warmups.
Thanks for being a part of the LAAPA family, John-Frederick! We love having you as a student here!
A HUGE welcome to our newest students who began lessons or added programs in April!
We are so happy that you’ve chosen to study at LAAPA. We know you will do great things this year!
Abigail M.
Abigail S.
Adeline S.
Aleta O.
Annabelle F.
Annica K.
Arianna B.
Arianne D.
Auri G.
Bailey H.
Bella C.
Braden F.
Brian J.
Caroline G.
Caroline L.
Charles B.
Chloe P.
Claire P.
Deborah S.
Demiana W.
Denise L.
Deshawn D.
Donna S.
Dylen P.
Elle C.
Emmersyn T.
Finn A.
Gracey S.
Haddon B.
Harper P.
Henry S.
Ianalia M.
Isabella R.
Isabelle A.
Isaiah T.
Jean D.
Jersei C.
Jessica W.
Juliana D.
Kaius N.
Krista P.
Layla J.
Leighton H.
Leslie H.
Lile A.
Lily S.
Lizzie T.
Lynae T.
Marianne N.
MattieJai C.
Maureen A.
Max L.
Meadow C.
Michael C.
Michael H.
Morghan G.
Myleh D.
Oliver D.
Olivia B.
Owen M.
Paige J.
Phoenix B.
Riaya J.
Rosella H.
Silas K.
Sophia G.
Stacy B.
Stephen F.
Suren T.
Sydney S.
Tabatha C.
Thomas W.
Tiffany M.
Trinede W.
Winston M.
Zoya R.
Student "Shout Outs!"
“There isn’t a single negative thing to be said about LAAPA. The staff are so friendly and helpful. My daughter has been taking piano lessons for two months with Mr. Ryan Kintz. She adores her lessons; Mr. Kintz is very patient and knows how to keep my daughter engaged in the lessons. Her favorite part is at the end of the lesson when they play duets - she on the piano and he on the guitar.”
~ Meagan B.
“My daughter takes drum lessons with Mr. Christian. He’s a fantastic teacher. He is super knowledgeable and passionate about his craft. It translates well into the lessons, and my daughter loves coming home to show me everything that she has learned.”
~ Elizabeth W.
“We have been so impressed with how well organized and well run the school is. Everyone is always so welcoming and professional. Stella’s voice teacher, Mr. Nicoli, and violin teacher, Ms. Pacian, provide a positive and fun learning experience. She has consistently progressed in voice and violin and cannot wait to get to class each week.”
~ Andrea C.
“We can not say enough how much we love doing voice classes with Ms Bethany at LAAPA! Our daughter continues to learn so many aspects of music and just loves going to class to learn from Ms Bethany! We highly recommend her!”
~ Sarah C.