Monthly Newsletters - March 2026

2026 Summer Performances & Awards Ceremonies

Dear Students & Parents,

Spring is in the air, and so is that magical yellow dust, gold to the ever-expanding car wash industry (as well as children with a sense of humor). Yes, the pollen, which is why (as I type this) I need a quick second with my handkerchief. All good now…

 

I’d like to first congratulate our adult student musicians from all of our campuses in Covington, Mandeville, and River Ridge who put on a fabulous Spring Concert at Three Rivers Theater this past month! Check out some of the highlight photos on our social media pages.

 

Congratulations as well to the cast and crew of “Matilda The Musical JR.” from the River Ridge campus! Thanks to our cast of 60 talented students, amazingly supportive parents, technical crew, and fabulous Directors - Olivia Gonzalez, Katy Maddox, and Carlee Redd. You all brought a lot of joy to the community! Photos are being edited and we hope to be able to share a clip or two from the show soon!

 

A huge congratulations to all of our LAAPAFEST music participants this past month as well! I was personally on-site recording everything at the theater and was thrilled to hear some excellent performances! As in years past, 99% of our students placed in the top 3 overall rating groups meriting Superior, Excellent, and Satisfactory scores. Each year, I tend to mention that the judges showed “tough love”. This year was certainly no exception, so please understand that all comments are meant for your personal growth and should not detract at all from the positive energy and hard work that you’ve put in with your teachers. Be sure to look at the plus signs in addition to the minus signs on the rating sheet. Ask your teacher to go through the comments with you at your next lesson, and for further guidance, if you have questions about any of the judges’ remarks. If you didn’t score as highly as you would have liked to, ask your teacher for their thoughts on how you can plan for next year!

 

This month, we look forward to having our dance, musical theater and film students showcase their talent, during LAAPAFEST for dance and the first annual LAAPA Theater & Film Festival for drama. Both will be held at Three Rivers Theater (TRT) in Covington. We can’t wait to see the results of their hard work as well! Be on the lookout for Virtual Recitals featuring selected students from LAAPAFEST which will air beginning in May at laapa.com/live. Exact dates/times TBA!

 

I do realize that we talk about performances often in the newsletters, yet only around half of our students choose to participate in these opportunities. That’s perfectly fine, too, as we never want to force anyone to perform before they are ready! Our student body is also quite diverse, with many different goals and expectations. We realize that many students come to us just to learn to play, dance, sing, or act for their own personal growth and enjoyment. I will say, though, that many of our students didn’t think they’d enjoy performing at first, and their teachers often had to beg them to try it out… the FIRST time. Then, they tend to be hooked!

 

Our 2026 Music Concerts & Award Ceremonies are our main events of the year, not to be missed, and are open to all currently enrolled students! While our dancers have already signed up for their performances, music students may reserve their spots HERE - that deadline is 1 May. Our Summer Drama Showcases will also be held in June, and our acting & musical theatre students can sign up HERE - that deadline is 17 April.

 

Many awards will be presented at our summer ceremonies, based on the number of continuous years students have been studying in their program at LAAPA. Every student who is performing will be recognized for his/her time of study and accomplishments. Students who compose and score their own music and/or who participated in LAAPAFEST will additionally be recognized in these award ceremonies.

 

Our 2026 summer performances & awards ceremonies are as follows:

Sunday 31 May | Honors Concert | Three Rivers Theater, 73115 LA-437 in Covington

Wednesday-Thursday, 10-11 June | Drama Showcases | Southshore | WPAT, 177 Sala Ave in Westwego

Saturday-**Sunday, 13-**14 June | Music Concerts | Southshore | WPAT, 177 Sala Ave in Westwego (**Sunday TBD)

Sunday 14 June | Dance Recitals | Southshore | WPAT, 177 Sala Ave in Westwego

Wednesday-Friday, 17-19 June | Drama Showcases | Northshore | Three Rivers Theater, 73115 LA-437 in Covington

Saturday-Sunday, 20-21 June | Music Concerts | Northshore | Three Rivers Theater, 73115 LA-437 in Covington

Saturday 27 June | Dance Recitals | Northshore | Fuhrmann Auditorium, 128 W 23rd Ave in Covington

 

Tickets will be available soon for all productions. Seating does fill quickly, especially at Three Rivers Theater, so we highly recommend ordering your tickets online in advance of the events. At LAAPA, all families receive 2 FREE tickets to our summer performances, so please keep that in mind when purchasing. Of course, in case you have family and friends that can’t make the show in person, or perhaps just aren’t quite ready to attend a live show yet, many of our concerts will be live streamed completely free of charge via our website at laapa.com/live. Just stay tuned for live stream dates!

 

Lastly, I wanted to also mention our upcoming Summer Music, Dance, & Drama Camps, which have grown in popularity each year to the point that they sell out quickly! Our themes this year are K-Pop, Broadway Avenue, Video Game Mania, and Disney/Pixar! Several weeks are now nearly sold out, so if you’d like to join the fun this July, I’d encourage you to check out our camp page to learn more and reserve your spot(s) now before they are all gone!

 

~ Ryan Cullen, Executive Director

April Student Spotlight - Maddie Rideout

This month’s Student Spotlight features LAAPA Mandeville student Maddie Rideout! Maddie takes piano with Mr. Ryan, and she’s been part of the LAAPA family for over 3 years!

 

Outside of LAAPA, Maddie enjoys art - sketching in particular - as well as playing soccer. Her favorite music genre is alt rock/pop, and her favorite artist is Ava Max. When asked about the future, Maddie has plans to be a professional soccer player AND pianist!

 

Maddie really enjoys lessons with Mr. Ryan. She enjoys his sense of humor and appreciates his kindness. Maddie’s favorite part of lessons is learning new songs, ones she picks as well as music introduced to her by Mr. Ryan! She’s grateful for LAAPA for providing the opportunity to improve her piano skills and build up a large repertoire of music.

 

We look forward to seeing your skills blossom even further, Maddie - both on the field and on the stage! You’ll get a room full of cheering and encouragement, no matter where you perform.

April Birthdays and Upcoming Deadlines/Events

Shoutouts - New Students and Faculty & Staff!