Monthly Newsletters - Five Ways to get the Most from Music and Dance Lessons, Faculty & Staff, Student Spotlight - Aaron and Lillian Rockhold, Student News, and more!...

Five Ways to get the Most from Music and Dance Lessons!

Dear Parents and Students,

Whether you’re a brand new beginner just getting settled in your music or dance classes this year or you’ve been taking for several years now, it’s important to understand how you can make the most out of your weekly classes with your teacher(s) here. Here are five ways you can ensure that your lessons at LAAPA bring a lifetime of joy to your family!

 

1.) Open Communication - Over the years, we have implemented a variety of communication channels between our faculty, staff, and students. We are of the opinion that we can’t really have too much communication. Our faculty and staff want to ensure that you are accomplishing your goals and that your lessons are meeting expectations. Our faculty communicate with parents via the My Music Staff application for digital lesson planning and lesson notes. If you don’t receive weekly lesson plans digitally from your teacher, ask them about My Music Staff and they’d be happy to set that up for you. Of course, our faculty also utilize our customized student notebooks for quick and simple lesson notes, goal tracking, ticket rewards, lesson ratings, practice times and more. For our newest students, we make every effort to check in with you after you’ve had a month or two of classes. If for some reason your classes need to be adjusted before you hear from us with a different day/time, program, teacher, you can always let us know and we will do everything possible to accommodate you. Customer service is a top priority for us at LAAPA, and we have a team of 9 customer service professionals (and growing) to answer questions via email, text, phone. For urgent matters, the quickest way to reach us is still always via the phone!

 

2.) Utilize the EXTRAS – One of the biggest benefits of your membership with LAAPA is the many additional complimentary classes that are offered to our students throughout the year. Our music theory class is offered for 45 minutes each week for all private music students ages 5-up who wish to excel in their knowledge of music fundamentals. Our improv/choreography dance classes are offered to all dance students enrolled in 2 or more dance classes who wish to build their creative and compositional skills. Our makeup workshops are offered throughout the year for music students in private lessons. Should you miss a lesson, you may book an extra class with any of our faculty members. Workshops may be self-scheduled within the My Music Staff website. If you are having trouble finding a workshop for your instrument/age, please reach out to us as we schedule these monthly and some classes are scheduled based on historical demand at different times of the year. We are happy to add classes as needed. Our dance/preschool students are welcome to contact us to attend a similar age/level dance class to makeup for their absences. In addition to our official makeup workshops, we host a variety of community classes throughout the year that may be of interest as well. From adult hip hop classes to improvisational jam sessions, we have something fun for everyone. Follow our calendar at laapa.com or our events page on Facebook - @laapaface to be notified of new community classes! Finally, remember that ALL private music students have the option to schedule one FREE audio recording session each year using our state of the art equipment. To schedule your recording session date, please speak with the front desk!

3.) Maximize your Lesson Time – This may sound simple, but 30 minutes or even an hour can go by quickly each week! For young students, please have them use the restroom and get water prior to class starting. If you are an instrumentalist, consider opening up your instrument and tuning before your class begins. If you are a virtual student attending on Zoom, consider rebooting your device before class if it has been on for a while. Be sure your Zoom app is updated with the latest version and your sound and video are started and running correctly. For young students attending on Zoom, please have a parent/guardian nearby to assist for possible technical issues until the teacher has confirmed they are properly connected! Even with all of these considerations, our students of course naturally grow in their love for music and dance over time and eventually may feel the need to add time/classes to their existing schedule(s). We are always happy to work these additional classes out for students whenever possible and with the approval of your teacher(s)! With over 1,700 students currently enrolled, lesson times are limited especially with our veteran teachers, but they do come up from time to time. For the most up-to-date scheduling possibilities, always check in at the front desk!

 

4.) Sign Up for Events – While never required at LAAPA, recitals and performance opportunities are one of the best ways to foster growth within students. Being able to experience the culmination of many weeks/months of hard work with family and friends is always a wonderful experience! Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of recitals. I’ve in fact probably watched more recitals and student performers than anyone I know, so I consider myself to be somewhat of an expert! One thing that never gets old for me is witnessing the transformation that takes place from the young, perhaps nervous beginning student performing for the first time on stage to the semi-professional that performs in their final senior recital. Of course we realize that performing is not everyone’s goal or reason for taking music and dance lessons, and there is never any pressure here to participate in these events, however it is still a big part of what we do and our mission here due to the overwhelmingly positive benefits. Despite the challenges over the last 2 years, we managed to hold a variety of recitals both in-person and virtually! Our in-person recitals will be held this June for both music and dance, and we’ll also be holding a special Virtual Spring performance for all of our LAAPAFEST participants!

 

5.) Input=Output – Once again, we understand that students and parents choose music and dance classes for a variety of reasons. Some students and parents are happy with simply having students receive a fun and educational weekly class. Others want more, and for those that do it’s important to remember what you put into your lessons you will get out of your lessons! Regular attendance, a consistent practice schedule, and parental involvement will do wonders! As a parent of 4 children enrolled in lessons, I am well aware of all inherent challenges! It’s different in every house, but in our house, sometimes the children just don’t want to practice what they are assigned to practice. Doodling around on the piano for a half hour may be fun, and some creative exploration time is important, but children, especially beginners, need to be monitored to ensure they are working on the correct assignments. In general, it’s unreasonable to expect all young children to naturally want to practice and automatically stay on a set practice schedule on their own no matter how much they love music or dance. Most children need reminders to open the books, to look and see what their teacher has asked them to focus on and isolate problematic areas instead of simply repeating the entire piece over and over. They are, after all, kids and again, parental involvement is key! If you have a natural “practicer” who loves to practice, awesome! You are lucky, although this too comes with other personal challenges! Perhaps the music is sounding wonderful during practice sessions, but you adore quiet time in your home especially at night and your house is instead loud most of the time from constant piano playing and singing by a certain teenager still in pursuit of a mysterious art that is dynamic contrast – pianissimo where art thou? (Patrick, that’s you buddy). In these cases, it’s important to be grateful for the desire the students are showing to practice, but I have found my noise cancelling headphones to work miracles! I also just bought my wife a pair for Christmas at her request. I highly recommend them when you need quiet in your house but don’t want to discourage the practice mojo.

 

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

Congrats to River Ridge School of Music and Dance student, Gabriella Rocha (Below) on becoming a big sister! Gabriella takes Hip Hop/Jazz I lessons with Mrs. Mary. She is so excited to welcome her new baby sister to the family!

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!

Learn More!

Happy March Birthdays!

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

Abigail Keiser (13) , Adeline Selby (3) , Alexander Stein (8) , Alice Duplantier (7) , Alissa Qadir (4) , Aloni Tate (3) , Amelie Bradford (12) , Ananya Rajesh (10) , Anderson Ballard (9) , Andres Garza (14) , Anson Pan (15) , Ashlyn Taylor (11) , Aubrey Waldrup (14) , Autumn Ortiz (6) , Avery Corl (3) , Benjamin Thompson (12) , Brennan Gagne (5) , Brittany Trosclair , Caitlynn Carpenter (7) , Carolina Rodriguez (13) , Caroline Suire (11) , Catherine Coin (15) , Charlotte Raspino (4) , Christian Granier (17) , Corine Nguy (8) , Daian Terrazas , Daisy Juneau (6) , Daniel Guthrie (16) , Daniela Loose , Demi Humphreys (8) , Devaune Rankins (8) , Devika Bondar (3) , Diego Guerrero (13) , Drew Ganucheau (13) , Eduardo Camese (7) , Elaine Naranjo , Eleanor Cullen (6) , Eli Bedair (12) , Elise Meeks (8) , Eliza Larose (10) , Emma Torres (3) , Emmalia Phosavath (14) , Evangeline Mezzic (6) , Evelyn Marchand (6) , Finlee Crawford (13) , Finley Gantt (3) , Finn Motichek (2) , Frank Schneider (7) , Frida Godwin (11) , Gavin Bourg (10) , George Schafer (7) , Gianna Morrow (8) , Gideon Weaver (4) , Grayson Gillard (8) , Henry Ross (7) , Ingrid Laurendine , Isabella Plaisance (8) , Isabella Smith (9) , Isabelle Blanc (5) , Jacob Wright (11) , Jayaji Shitole (8) , Joe Annotti , Joel Brennan (8) , John Jr (13) , Joseph Munguia (8) , Kasey Canas , Kasey Pernia (13) , Katie Smith (13) , Kayleigh Salle (7) , Kiley Moore (12) , Kylie Donald (9) , Layna Ostendorf (14) , Leigh Director , Lillian Young (7) , Lily Diaz (15) , Lola Lognion (9) , Lola Robins (15) , Lucas Ilie (10) , Lyla Steimle (11) , Lylian Roccaforte (11) , Madison Rynick (14) , Mason Urbina (9) , Mateo Welch (9) , Max Vaccaro (11) , Meredith Lachney (7) , Mickey Welsh (9) , Nora Ocampo (9) , Norah Samaha (4) , Olive Jilbert (6) , Olivia Bestider (11) , Olivia Springer (17) , Pablo Welsh (9) , Paizley Kyle (6) , Payton Cole (12) , Rakshitha Rajasekaran , Reagan Baron (7) , Rodney Bell , Ryan Tanguis (8) , Rylie Humphreys (6) , Samantha Bennett (10) , Sanvi Patel (8) , Savanna Revere (2) , Sawyer Beducian (6) , Scarlett Charbonnet (9) , Sloane Pierce (14) , Stella Crowe (9) , Stella Raby (8) , Stephanie Fernandes (14) , Svaraathmika Badari (8) , Todd Willis , Vasundhara Shitole (8) , Vicente Guerrero (7) , Victoria Vitter (7) , Will Larsen (11)

Video of the Month - Success in Musical Theatre!

LAAPA's very own Mrs. Rebecca and Mr. Nicoli discuss how to successfully prepare for your next musical theatre audition. 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 - Aaron and Lillian Rockhold

This month’s student spotlight is Mandeville School of Music & Dance students Aaron and Lillian Rockhold. Aaron and Lillian are both involved in multiple programs at MSMD!

Aaron attends Piano lessons. His goal at LAAPA is to learn and perfect as many instruments as possible! Aaron says he has gained so much from his lessons and loves being challenged by learning new pieces to perfom. He was accepted into the Talented Music program and contributes this success from his time at LAAPA.

In his free time, Aaron enjoys playing all of his instruments and playing video games. He loves classical and jazz music, and is inspired by New Orleans artists such as Louis Armstrong. He loves how easy it is to learn at LAAPA and is looking forward to moving further in his musical career!

Lillian attends Musical Theatre, Acting, and Voice lessons. Lillian loves dancing at LAAPA and loves how Mr. Nicoli, Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Savannah are helping her acheive her goals of becoming an actress. One day she hopes to make it to Broadway! She said her acting classes have really helped develop her acting skills and improved the emotion she puts into performances. Her classes even helped her get into the Talented Theatre program! In her free time, Lillian loves to play video games. Her favorite actor is Will Smith, and her favorite artist is Taylor Swift!

Thanks, Aaron and Lillian, for being part of the LAAPA family and keep up the amazing work!

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

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