Monthly Newsletters - 2022 Music & Dance Concerts & Award Ceremonies – Will You Be Participating?, Faculty & Staff, Student Spotlight - Amani and Leyann, Student News, and more!...

2022 Music & Dance Concerts & Award Ceremonies

Dear Parents and Students,

A huge congratulations to all our LAAPAFEST music participants this past month! I was personally on site at all events 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, as well as 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 for further guidance if you have questions about any of the judge’s 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 students perform their LAAPAFEST solos, and we can’t wait to see the results of their hard work as well!

 

As Spring greets our automobiles with nature’s magical yellow dust once again, that can only mean two things! 1. Discovering and reclaiming all kinds of interesting things the children have left in the yard over the Winter while cutting the grass (and trying to creatively dodge them without having to get off the mower). 2. Getting ready for our many exciting performance opportunities coming up soon!

 

We will be kicking things off this year with our 2022 Virtual Recitals featuring all of our LAAPAFEST 2022 performers! Performances will be held over several days at laapa.com/live beginning Friday, April 15. Stay tuned for more information! Our Mandeville Acting II class will be presenting “The Love of Three Oranges” with multiple shows as follows: May 6, May 7, and May 8. All shows will be held at 105 Campbell Ave with the exception of the final show May 8 to be held at Fuhrmann Auditorium. Our Honors music and dance students from LAAPAFEST will additionally be performing May 8 at Fuhrmann. All times will be posted on our website.

Our Summer Recitals are our main events of the year, not to be missed, and are open to all currently enrolled students! Many awards will be presented at these programs based on the number of years students have been taking lessons 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 those award ceremonies.

 

Our 2022 Summer Dance Recitals and Award Ceremonies will be held St. Martin’s Solomon Theatre – 225 Green Acres Rd in Metairie - for the River Ridge campus and at Fuhrmann Auditorium, 128 W 23rd Ave in Covington for the Mandeville campus. Registration is now closed for participation in our Summer Dance Recitals and costumes will be arriving soon! Tickets are currently on sale now for all productions at events.laapa.com. Seating does fill quickly, so we highly recommend ordering your tickets online in advance of the events. At LAAPA, all families receive 2 FREE tickets to our music and dance recitals, so please keep that in mind when purchasing. These tickets will be sent via email to the address specified on the sign up form within a few weeks of the shows. 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 Camps which have grown in popularity each year to the point that we only have a few spots left for 2022! Several weeks are now sold out, so if you’d like to join the fun this July, I’d encourage you to check out laapa.com/camp to learn more and reserve your spot(s) now before they are all gone!

 

See you at your next lesson!

Ryan Cullen, Academy Director

Join the Fun with Music & Dance

At LAAPA, we offer the most comprehensive Music & Dance Program in the Greater New Orleans area with three campuses located in Covington, Harahan, and Mandeville. For over 40 years, we’ve provided lessons to tens of thousands of students in Piano, Guitar, Voice, Violin, Drums, Ballet, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Tap, Brass, Woodwind, Bands, Preschool Music, and more!

Covington: 985-590-4545
Mandeville: 985-674-2992
River Ridge: 504-738-3050

Enroll Today!

Student News

The Acting Department presents The Love of Three Oranges under the direction of Mr. Nicoli Hutchison. The students will debut the show on Friday, May 6, 2022. The Love of Three Oranges will run Friday-Sunday, May 6-8, 2022. Visit laapa.com/events to view more information and purchase tickets to the shows!

Another big congratulations to Mandeville School of Music and Dance long-time student, Cecilia Lamulle! Cecilia was accepted into the Ocseola County School for the Arts and will be majoring in Voice! She has been a piano and voice student with Dr. Vera since 2016! We are so proud and excited for your new adventure, Cecilia!

 

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!

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Happy April Birthdays!

We'd like to wish the following Students a very Happy Birthday this Month!

Lilly K. (15), Kai M. (2), Alexis R. (8), Natalie R., Maria M. (2), Bryan S., Naomi F. (8), Samuel H. (12), Jonathan M. (11), Andrew H. (7), Bella B. (5), Danielle T. (25), Kaia L. (5), Stevie D. (4), Catherine H. (3), Finn S. (5), Mila Jade F. (3), Barbara M., Kaysha R. (7), Alayna R., Pia O. (5), LaDonna C., Aaradhya R. (8), Elise L. (8), Braxton V. (8), McKenzie G. (8), Gianna P. (3), Carlos V. (8), Jacob H. (9), Jake T. (13), Genesis R. (5), Ed M., Daniel F. (9), Pierre L. (9), Phineas F. (14), Jamari F. (13), Kamari F. (13), Mia M. (16), Ava H. (11), Layne C. (15), Luke F. (11), Greta L. (9), Thalia B. (12), Magnolia S. (12), Cate G. (16), Apollo D. (3), Hunter B. (9), Isabella R. (15), Clarke Billy B., Caroline C. (11), Jack G. (12), Zackary G. (11), Frank H. (10), Alyssa C. (8), Mary Elizabeth V. (7), Tara C., Ralph K., Reese Q. (8), Will F., Brandon T. (16), Brynn L. (14), Paul A. (14), Kitty R. ,Warrick F. (9), Luke F. (9), Sophia P. (7), Gabriel B. (13), Kaden J. (14), Lincoln B. (12), Oliver H. (10), Penelope W. (9), Kayleigh G. (13), Allison E. (8), Brandon S. (15), Samuel A. (7), Coi D. (10), Wylie J. (10), Liam A. (10), Rayleigh H. (9), Andrew R., Kinsley C. (9), Saige D. (11), Miley F. (10), Jude B. (12), Kyleigh O. (13), Dash B. (9), Jacei P. (7), Nolan P. (9), Terry M., Rosibeth E. (11)

Video of the Month - Mandeville School of Music and Dance Theatre Showcase Performance!

LAAPA's very own Musical Theatre and Acting class put on their very first Theatre Showcase Performance in front of friends and family. What a great show! Here, students preform the song "Stick to the Status Quo." https://www.laapa.com/musical-theater-classes-mandeville-river-ridge-metairie-new-orleans

 

Important Dates

Take a moment to review the following upcoming dates:

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 $425

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!

View More!

Students Spotlight - Amani and Leyann Nawash

This month’s student spotlights are River Ridge School of Music & Dance students Amani and Leyann Nawash. Amani takes piano and voice lessons, and Leyann takes piano lessons at LAAPA!

Outside of lessons at LAAPA, Amani enjoys practicing vocal and piano excercises. She enjoys listening to “sad” classical music. She and Mr. Kilian are currently working on “Send in the Clowns” by Judy Collins, one of her favorite singers. She loves learning from Mr. Kilian because he is fun, silly, and very kind. In her free time, Leyann enjoys taking ballet and shopping. She told us that she is the “fancy” one in her family, making shopping one of her favorite hobbies. Leyann loves to listen to Harp music and her favorite band is Queen! When she grows up, Leyann wants to be a ballet teacher.

Both girls say that LAAPA is the best place for music lessons! Thanks so much for sharing, Amani and Leyann! We’re so thrilled to have you both as members of our LAAPA family.

A HUGE welcome to our newest students who began lessons or added programs in March!

We are so happy that you’ve chosen to study at LAAPA. We know you will do great things this year!