Monthly Newsletters - Discover YOUR Talent this Fall in Music, Dance, or Acting, Faculty & Staff, Student Spotlight - Abigail Dupuy, Student News, and more!...

Discover YOUR Talent this Fall in Music, Dance, or Acting!

Dear Parents, Students, and Future Students!

Usually, mornings are fairly quiet at our 3 campuses in Covington, Harahan, and Mandeville. Today is wonderfully different though, because as I’m writing this, the window to my studio is a bit foggy with a nose, two curious little eyes and a big smile peering through. As I wave good morning, I’m also being serenaded with the sounds of Duke Ellington’s “C Jam Blues” in the room next door. Ah yes, the sounds of learning are in full swing all day every day here at LAAPA this Summer! In another room across from me, our beginning band featuring a full ensemble of flutes, trumpets, tubas, and drums is learning their first song together. None of them have played these instruments before, and yet on Friday, they will perform their first simple song together! In another room, students are working on ukulele, another room is violin class, yet another is piano improv class where the blues happen daily (sunglasses are always optional but welcomed). The acting class is creating their own commercials, the dance classes are perfecting their leaps and spins in ballet and hip hop, and then there’s this one other kid who keeps singing and playing Elton John tunes on the piano all day… Ah, that must be my son Patrick. He’s a huge help, but sometimes louder than the tuba :)

 

Speaking of loud sounds, summer camp can sometimes be quite a cacophony with 25 - 30 students at a time learning new instruments! Honestly, though, we wouldn’t have it any other way! The opportunity for students to discover August 27 Open House Mandeville & River Ridge Campuses 3 - 5 PM August 31 Faculty/Staff Professional Development Day (no classes) their talent and see what instruments or programs interest/come naturally to them is life changing!

 

Summer Camp always reminds me of the openness of young beginners who are not afraid of trying new things to discover their talent. It’s important to realize that what usually begins with banging around the on the piano, or squeaking away on the clarinet, or yes, even jumping up and down on the bed at home, will eventually (through weekly lessons, practice, and dedication) be transformed into something amazing in a lifetime appreciation of the performing arts!

 

When I was growing up, I had the opportunity to try all sorts of instruments. Many things I discovered weren’t for me. Guitar, for example, I just couldn’t get the hang of. I remember trying out my first saxophone, though, and getting my first sounds out. When getting started, you learn to squeak while developing your embouchure – that’s actually something you get to practice! As a kid, I thought that was great, and perhaps my initial love for the instrument was nothing more than the amazing opportunity to annoy my siblings, but it grew on me nonetheless! When I learned to play the violin, I also creaked and squeaked a bit there too, as most beginners do. What I loved about the violin was all the names every part had, like the “frog” on the bow.

 

I also appreciated the amount of detailed prep work that is needed before even playing anything: like how to hold the bow, foot positioning, tightening the bow, loosening the bow, holding the violin correctly, getting a shoulder pad (we used a good ol’ kitchen sponge back then with a rubber band), tuning, and, of course, the rosin. I caked that stuff on my bow man, because I learned early on that it helped increase the creakiness.

 

Fast forward to today, I ended up with an undergraduate degree in Jazz Piano and and Master of Music degree in Studio/Jazz composition. One of my favorite things to do now is play the piano in our living room at home for relaxation (if I can get some bench time that is – it’s pretty competitive lately in my house with 4 kids enrolled in piano lessons). There’s just something about taking that time out that’s a relief from everything else going on. When I sit down at the piano, I tend to improvise a lot based on whatever is in my head. It’s incredibly freeing, and I highly recommend learning about improvisation either in music or dance at some point. Many of our faculty members are now offering free workshops that you can sign up for that include these types of classes, and all of our dance students enrolled in 2 or more classes can attend an Improv/Choreography class for free each week!

 

At any rate, I would never have reached this point in my playing if I wasn’t able to have the discovery time years ago to explore my interests. My time to explore music just happened to be as a child, but as adults, we should never stop exploring and must embrace our inner child so that we don’t worry about making mistakes or possibly embarrassing ourselves when learning something new. Fall is always a great time for me personally to try something new, and I actually just started production lessons with MC here in Mandeville and am learning a lot!

 

My years of discovery, training, and hard work have additionally afforded me with the skills to create something incredibly important to my family - silly theme songs written for each of my kids. They seem to love them, and no you probably can’t get me to sing or play them for you. When I start playing these tunes, the kids are almost always inspired to play too! My son Benjamin will hop on the drums in his room (which is just down the hall so we can still hear each other), Patrick may fire up his keyboard, and Lucy may grab her guitar or violin, and Eleanor usually accompanies on her kiddie tom drum or starts dancing immediately and creating choreography.

 

If you missed out on discovering your talent this Summer, never fear, because Fall is literally right around the corner, and registration for Fall 2022 is now available in person or online at laapa.com for the Back To School Season! Former students, if you took the summer off and are ready to get back into the groove, we encourage you to give us a call now! While the majority of our most popular classes and private lesson times have remained booked throughout the Summer, it’s possible that your previous teacher may have an opening or two, but they won’t last long. We are also pleased to welcome several new amazing faculty members who we know you’ll be equally excited to work with should your old teacher be unavailable!

 

Music and dance truly are gifts that I want all of our current families and future families to enjoy together, and you can do this regardless of your background or years of experience. Remember that everyone was once a beginner! A love of the performing arts and the willingness to invest in it together as a family is the most important thing.

 

~ Ryan Cullen, Executive Director, Former Practice Evasionist, & Creator of Silly Theme Songs

Join the Fun This Fall!

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!

Thanks for a Great Summer!

Thank you to all of our campers, parents, teachers and staff for another amazing year of summer camp! It was a joy to have everyone with us, and we hope to see many of you next year!

 

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 August Birthdays!

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

AJ S. (13) , Alecsander C. (18) , Alexandra B. (5) , Alexi K. (13) , Allan C. (12) , Alvin L. (10), Anna D. (11) , Anna M. (17) , Anya D. (16) , Asher G. (2) , Atticus D. (7) , Aubrey H. (21) , Aubrey R. (2) , Audrey L. (6) , August C. (7) , Avery B. (6) , Benajmin V. (14) , Bentley G. (10) , Brennan S. (13) , Brynn H. (16) , Cailah F. (12) , Camille A (6) , Carol L., Chase A. (9) , Christopher B. (16) , Claire J. (12) , Clemens E. (5) , Colin T. (9) , Dayana T. (18) , Drew P. (12) , Elizabeth E. (11) , Ellie E. (15) , Elliot H. (7) , Ethan G. (13) , Eva D. , Finnigan B. (6) , Gabrielle W. (12) , Grant W. (6) , Hannah S. (10) , Harper C. (7) , Henry P. (4) , Hunter M. (7) , Isaac G. (14) , Isabella C. (17), Isabella C. (9) , Isabella D. (16) , Isabelle H. (4) , Isaiah M. (2) , Jack V. (21) , Jackson B. (13) , Jackson O. (10) , JD G. (11) , Jospeh O. (8) , Julia B. (11) , Julie L. , Kaia S. (8) , Kate W (7) , Katherine C. (14) , Kennedy K. (9) , Kiara L. (14) , Kinsley S. (10) , Laila T. (2) , Lara D. (11) , Leo J. (7) , Leonte C. (13) , Lila N. (4) , Locke B. (8) , Lucas B. (7) , Lucy O. (8) , Lynne D. , Madeleine M. (3) , Maicey G. (3) , Marcela C. (11) , Mary D. (13) , Mayari R. (9) , Mercy M. (13) , Mia R. (11) , Micah D. (12) , Michael M. (6) , Niengala D. , Noah G. (3) , Noora A. (14) , Nora E. (11) , Oliver H. (9), Olivia W. (8) , Pamela G. (8) , Paola G. (8) , Peyton O. (3) , Philip K. (5) , Preston L. (13), Ray Z. (12) , Riaan G. (6) , Rob D. , Robin B. (14) , Rowan S. (6) , Ruby M. (3) , Ryder H. (17) , Sabrina J. (27) , Sam G. (12) , Sami S. (24) , Sashary M. (10) , Sawyer S. (9) , Scarlett L. (7) , Sofia J. (9) , Sophia D. (12) , Stuart P. , Sujoy B. (6) , Summer L. (8) , Summer M. (7) , Teresa M. (2), Travis G. , Tripp W. (16) , Victoria C. (10) , Wilbert B. , Zachary B. (9) , Zaira R. (12) , Zehra B. (13)

Video of the Month - Now Enrolling for Music/Dance/Acting Classes - New Orleans, Mandeville, Covington

Join the Fun this Fall! Learn more about our wide variety of program offerings at https://www.laapa.com or call/text today at 504-208-2301. We'd also love to show you around any of our three campuses in the Greater New Orleans area!

 

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.

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 - Abigail Dupuy

This month’s Student Spotlight showcases River Ridge School of Music & Dance student Abigail Dupuy. She takes contemporary, ballet and improv/choreography classes with Ms. Elle, Ms. Kendra and Ms. Bayleigh. Abigail loves listening to anything upbeat. She loves performing both at the end of class and at recitals. Her favorite part of performing is wearing costumes and getting to dance on stage. Her favorite part about classes is learning new choreography that she can perform at the end of class to show what she’s learned. She loves learning here at LAAPA because it’s a supportive environment where she and her classmates learn something new every week.

She loves the fact that her teachers truly care about their students and take the time to get to know them. When she gets older, Abigail hopes to pursue a career as a professional dancer. We have no doubt that she’ll do amazing things! We’re happy to have you here, Abigail!

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

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