Monthly Newsletters - April 2023

2023 Music & Dance Concerts & Award Ceremonies

Dear Students and Parents,

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 performances over the next few months!

 

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 have to beg them to try it out… the FIRST time. Then, they tend to be hooked!

 

Already this Spring we’ve had several great shows! Congratulations to our Mandeville Acting I and II classes under the direction of Mr. Nicoli who put on a wonderful production of “Eurydice”. Be on the lookout for their production of “A Comedy of Errors” coming in the next few months. Congratulations as well to our adult students! Our adult dancers in Mandeville and adult musicians from all campuses put on a wonderful show at the River Ridge campus this past month. Check out some photos on our Facebook page @ laapaface !

 

A huge congratulations to all our LAAPAFEST music participants this past month! I was personally on site recording everything in our studio 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 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! Our first Virtual Recitals featuring students from LAAPAFEST will air beginning Thursday, April 27 at laapa.com/live .

 

Upcoming performances this month include our River Ridge Acting I and II classes under the direction of Ms. Bridget who will present their Spring Showcase April 1 at the River Ridge School of Music & Dance!

 

Our Summer Music & Dance Concerts 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, music students may now reserve their spots at https://www.laapa.com/music-recital . 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 2023 Summer Music & Dance Concerts 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 and Covington campuses. 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 concerts, 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 they sell out quickly! 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 laapa.com/camp to learn more and reserve your spot(s) now before they are all gone!

 

Ryan Cullen, Executive Director

Join the Fun this Spring! Learn to PLAY-DANCE-SING-ACT!

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

Aidan P., voice student of Ms. Christy at the River Ridge campus, made it into his school’s musical, Moana Jr.! He is Chief Ancestor #1 and is very excited to begin his rehearsals!

 

Congratulations Aidan! We’re so happy for you!

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 April Birthdays!

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

Alexander M. (15) , Alexander W. (9) , Alexis R. (9) , Allie E. (12) , Allison C. , Allison E. (9) , Amelie L. (14) , Andrew R. , Arianna B. (10) , Aryn T. (5) , Ashley Fernanda C. (9) , Astoria M. (5) , Audrey C. (9) , Aurora D. (4) , Ava R. (8) , Bella W. (13) , Benjamin M. (11) , Brandon S. (16) , Braxton V. (9) , Brynn L. (15) , Caleb S. (7) , Caroline C. (12) , Cassie H. , Cate G. (17) , Charlie D. (3) , Chase B. (23) , Cheryl G. , Christian H. (20) , Cora K. (6) , Dakota C. (12) , Dash B. (10) , Debra H. (3) , Delilah G. (12) , Ed M. , Edith B. (10) , Elijah V. (10) , Elise L. (9) , Ella O. (2) , Erin V. , Evelyn O. (7) , Finn S. (6) , Grace G. (13) , Greta L. (10) , Hayden M. (6) , Ian F. (9) , Isabel V. (7) , Isabella B. (14) , Isabella R. (16) , Isaiah H. (4) , Ivan L. (17) , Jamari F. (14) , Johan B. (3) , Jonathan M. (12) , Jude B. (13) , Kaia L. (6) , Kamari F. (14) , Kyleigh O. (14) , Layne C. (16) , Lia R. (16) , Liam B. (8) , Lillian W. (9) , Lilly K. (16) , Luna P. (4) , Madeline B. (11) , Magnolia S. (13) , Mallory C. (10) , Mary Elizabeth V. (8) , Matteo P. (7) , Matthias B. (16) , Maya S. (3) , Mia M. (17) , Mike H. , Miley F. (11) , Myles W. (3) , Naomi F. (9) , Nolan P. (10) , Oliver H. (11) , Paul A. (15) , Pierre L. (10) , Ralph K. , Rayleigh H. (10) , Reese Q. (9) , Rex B. (11) , Robert H. (9) , Roman M. (7) , Rosibeth E. (12) , Ryan C. (9) , Saige D. (12) , Sarah F. (8) , Scarlette G. (8) , Serpil A. (9) , Sofia T. (3) , Sophia P. (8) , Sydney C. (16) , Tara C. , Tayen F. (14) , Thalia B. (13) , Veronica P. (8) , Vladimir S. (3) , Warrick F. (10) , Wylie J. (11) , Xander C. (9) , Zackary G. (12) , Zoe Z. (6)

Video of the Month - "An Afternoon of Tango | Dr. Vera Zholondz, piano | Mr. Anton Zholondz, violin"

This month's video is a flashback to a performance by Dr. Vera and her brother Mr. Anton, featuring the music of Astor Piazzolla.

 

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 $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!

View More!

Student Spotlight - Grant and Levi Watkins

This month’s Student Spotlight showcases River Ridge School of Music students Grant and Levi Watkins! Grant takes piano and HipHop/Acro, and Levi takes piano and ukulele.

Outside of LAAPA, Grant loves watching Star Wars. He used to take karate, but now he is all about music! He wants to learn the guitar next. Levi loves playing video games on his xbox. Both boys love rock music, and their favorite band is Imagine Dragons. In the future, Grant wants to be a magician, and Levi is still figuring out what he would like to do.

Grant loves taking lessons with Mr. Markis because he gets to pick out his own recital tunes. Levi loves taking lessons with Mr. Virgil because they write songs together.

Thanks for being a part of the LAAPA family, Grant and Levi! We love having you as students here!

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!