Monthly Newsletters - December 2025
Articles for this month include "2025 in Review", Student Spotlight - Jordyn DUrand, Campus News, and more!...
2025 In Review
Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, and Staff:
Once again, it’s that time of the year for our year in review! As our 47th year at LAAPA concludes, I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect a bit on our mission and accomplishments for 2025! So, every year I do this, I know it can get a little sappier, but too bad. I’m writing it anyway, because we have a lot to be thankful for!
Of course, we begin with a huge thank you to our parents and adult students for making the performing arts a priority in your lives and the lives of your families. We are honored that you have allowed all of us here at LAAPA to be a part of your journey through music, dance, and drama. Being able to share what I consider one of the greatest gifts the world has to offer and see how it transforms the lives of our students and families is an awesome privilege. I believe our faculty and staff would concur on this point.
Parents, we truly would not be here without your commitment to your children’s education. Whether they continue education in the arts at the professional level down the road, or are just happy building their love for music, dance, and drama, we know that they will look back on their experiences with grateful hearts. Additionally, your children are building skills that will translate well and positively impact any future profession.
Faculty, thank you for everything to you bring to LAAPA. We are privileged to be working with some of the most talented educators and performers in our region. Our faculty members are hired here at LAAPA for many reasons, but one, above all others, is their love of their craft and genuine enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge. Making the learning experience for our students seamless, entertaining, and progressive is their goal each week. One of the things that students can always count on here at LAAPA is that no matter what their day was like at work or at school, their teachers will be here to consistently uplift them with their warm personalities, occasional jokes, and pedagogical prowess, instantly transforming a challenging or “just OK” day into an exceptional one. We receive countless applications each year from prospective educators (many times unsolicited), and, while many are excellent performers or may be qualified, not everyone has the unique ability to communicate their experience and methods in a variety of intelligible and personable ways like our faculty do.
I’m equally grateful for our administrative staff! No matter how you look at it, keeping up with customer service for nearly 1,900 students, hundreds of families, and 70 faculty members takes a lot of patience and hard work! Despite this, they continue to excel at what they do, with excellent leadership by our management. All of our administrative team members bring unique talents and interests in the performing arts to LAAPA, and it is a true joy allowing them to put those talents to work and watch as they continue to grow their skills in many niche areas.
I am incredibly thankful to our students for their commitment to their studies in the performing arts. Our lives in 2025 are so busy, and, compared to just a few years ago, we are all overscheduled with activities and a long list of daily “to-do’s.” Hearing and seeing you improve each week, while having fun at the same time, is an awesome experience. One of my greatest privileges is seeing our students grow here, from their first performance to their final bow. It’s an incredible transformation. Of course, music, dance, and drama classes are all proven ways of relieving stress, improving mental focus, and releasing emotional energy. Remember that developing your talents in the performing arts will positively influence not only your own life, but the lives of those around you! You never know when someone else might be listening or watching you practice or perform and thinking, “Wow, that looks/sounds amazing! I bet I would have fun doing that too!...”
Over the past year we’ve held numerous productions: dance recitals, recording sessions, full stage musicals and plays, black box showcases, improv and jam nights, and full music concerts. If you haven’t already done so, please check out our social media pages at Facebook and Instagram, where we post many pictures and videos from our various events!
We have a full lineup of music, dance, and drama performances on the way, so let’s take a quick look at what you can expect in the coming weeks... leading right up to our winter break from 23 December to 3 January*!
Catch LAAPA River Ridge’s Hip Hop III class at the Kenner Christmas Village on 5 December! Music concerts for LAAPA River Ridge will be held on Saturday 6 December at Victory Church in Metairie. In lieu of tickets, we will be accepting monetary donations towards the Teresian Sisters. You can also catch LAAPA River Ridge Dance Co. performing at Kenner Christmas Village on 6 December. We will be holding auditions for Matilda The Musical JR. on 7 December from 1PM-3PM at LAAPA River Ridge - book your audition spot here.
The Northshore College Prep acting class will be performing “The Importance of Being Earnest” on 9-10 December at Three Rivers Theater. Tickets are available here! Come see Northshore Dance Co. performing at Terra Bella on 12 December and in the Lollipop Parade in downtown Covington on 13 December! We will also be hosting our annual Christmas Variety Show on 18 December at Three Rivers Theater. Music concerts for LAAPA Covington and Mandeville will be held on Saturday & Sunday 20-21 December at Three Rivers Theater Covington. In lieu of tickets, we will be accepting monetary donations towards the Teresian Sisters. Student performance times will be sent out via email.
*A livestream for all music concerts for Southshore & Northshore will be available here, for those who are unable to attend in-person.*
With so many performances to look forward to this month, we can’t wait to see the final results of many weeks of preparations!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!
~ Ryan Cullen, Executive Director
Get your tickets for "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "Puffs" NOW!
Get yours before they sell out!
All seating is reserved, and tickets are limited! Tickets can be purchased here or click the button below!
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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!
December Birthdays and Upcoming Events
Shoutouts - New Students and Faculty & Staff!
December Student Spotlight - Jordyn Durand
This month’s Student Spotlightfeatures River Ridge campus student Jordyn Durand! It’s been just over four years since Jordyn joined us here at LAAPA, and she has taken a plethora of programs, including violin, voice, acting, musical theater, and ballet.
Outside of LAAPA, Jordyn participates in her school’s dance and talented theater/music programs, in addition to hosting a morning show. She also enjoys gymnastics and performing with her orchestral group. Jordyn’s favorite type of music is pop, and her favorite artist is Ariana Grande! Her favorite musicals include Hamilton, Newsies, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Jordyn’s future goals consist of further developing her singing voice to reach the top of her range, as well as strengthening her acting skills.
Jordyn has nothing but fantastic things to say about all of her instructors at LAAPA - highlighting kindness and a thorough catering of lessons to her interests, all while still making them fun and enjoyable. There isn’t any single thing she likes most about LAAPA, lessons, etc - Jordyn loves everything about everything here at LAAPA! Always something to do, always something going on. She “can’t imagine going to any other [performing arts] school. The people are so nice and welcoming, no[body] is mean, and you can do whatever you want to do!” We are proud to continuously nurture and grow your sprouting talent, Jordyn, and we are so very excited to see what comes next in your journey!
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!