Monthly Newsletters - November 2023

Holiday Performances

Dear Parents, Students, and Future Students!

For some, it may be at the mall, and for others, it may be in a neighbor’s yard. For me, it always ends up being at Lowe’s. During my random visits for LAAPA’s hardware needs over the years (especially around this time), I always end up being a bit surprised to see the Christmas décor flashing away, and also appreciative for the personal reminder. So today as I picked up my new and improved weed trimmer head and A/C filters, I began to channel my innermost jolliness in anticipation of our 2023 productions being just a few weeks away!

 

The season kicks off with our Mandeville Dance Co. students performing in the Covington Christmas Parade (2:30 PM) and River Ridge Dance Co. students performing from 6 PM at the Rivertown Christmas Village. Both performances will be December 9!

 

All Dance students and parents should mark your calendars for our “Home for the Holidays” in-studio showcases beginning Dec 11-16. All parents are welcome to come into class on these showcase days for a special end of the year performance!

 

Our 3rd annual Christmas Variety Show will be held December 10 (times TBA) at the Mandeville School of Music & Dance and directed and produced by our Drama students. In the past, it has been in a radio format with a live studio audience, but each year is always a surprise!

 

Of course, our final event of December is our Christmas Music Concerts that will benefit the poor and underprivileged families served by the Teresian Sisters Mission! You can learn more about the mission at www.laapa.com/mission.

 

Music Students should sign up for our Christmas Concerts by Sunday, November 5th! Learn more here: www.laapa.com/xmas. When signing up, please make sure that you receive a confirmation email from us. If you have signed up but did not receive a confirmation email, please contact us as we may not have received your participation form.

 

Here’s a little more information on what to expect for our music concerts:

 

1.) For our music concerts, all musicians are invited to perform! Even if you just began studying this past Fall, you can work with your instructor to perform even a brief piece with the underlying goal of providing a positive introduction to the stage.

 

2.) For vocalists - practice holding a pretend microphone in your lessons to simulate your actual on-stage performance. If you’d prefer not to hold anything, the other option is to leave the microphone on the stand.

 

3.) For pianists - you will be performing on a full-sized grand piano at the concerts. The piano should feel very similar to our pianos at LAAPA.

 

4.) For guitarists - we provide a Fender amp (with plenty of optional effects) and a direct connection to the auditorium’s sound system. If you want to use your amp/effects pedal, please bring your patch cables and let us know in advance of the date for setup planning!

 

5.) For drummers - we will have a Yamaha custom acoustic drum set on stage similar to the ones many of you use in your lessons. You only need to bring your sticks!

 

6.) Now is a GREAT time to ask your teacher to show you how to TUNE your instrument. We highly recommend learning this skill to all violin, guitar, brass, and woodwind students if you haven’t already. Our staff will be on hand to help you tune before the concert begins as well.

 

7.) There are no tickets to purchase for our Christmas Music Concerts. In lieu of tickets, we ask for donations to the Teresian Mission that we’ve been supporting for several years now. More information on this mission is available at www.laapa.com/mission.

 

8.) Professional videos are available, just indicate your package when filling out the participation form.

 

9.) Seating for parents and guests is all on a first-come, first-served basis. Each concert will typically last up to 1 1/2 hours. We ask that you be prepared to remain for the full concert. Students who leave early will miss out on our group photographs at the end of each show!

 

We look forward to seeing you all on stage this holiday season!

 

~ Ryan Cullen, Executive Director

Discover Your Talent This Fall - 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!

October Showcases

A huge congratulations to all of our students at the Mandeville School of Music & Dance and River Ridge School of Music & Dance! Special thanks to our awesome faculty and the student show directors for great showcases and productions!

 

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 November Birthdays!

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

Abby K. (14) , Adalynn B. (12) , Addyson D. (8) , Aidan P. (10) , Akilah J. (24) , Alani L. (16) , Aleena S. (9) , Alex G. (20) , Alexandra F. (8) , Alexandra M. (16) , Alyson A. (9) , Amelia C. (9) , Andrea H. (15) , Angela N. , Anjana M. (14) , Arden M. (2) , Ashlyn C. (6) , Aubrey V. (9) , Beirne M. (12) , Bella R. (3) , Benjamin D. (15) , Brennan B. (10) , Campbell M. (12) , Carter S. (18) , Charlotte B. (4) , Chloe A. (16) , Christopher G. , Cindy A. , Dakota B. (17) , Daniel M. , David E. , Delilah K. (11) , Dylan M. (10) , Eliana C. (5) , Ella S. (7) , Emmaline M. (6) , Emmarose O. (8) , Evan B. (12) , Evangeline M. (8) , Evelyn R. (16) , Fernando P. (13) , Frankie D. (18) , Gabrielle P. (4) , Genevieve G. (7) , Gilen B. (3) , Gloria S. (2) , Grace C. (15) , Grey C. (6) , Hailey H. (5) , Harper G. (8) , Hilton D. (3) , Hunter T. (7) , Ilona R. (10) , Imani H. (17) , Itza B. (8) , Jace K. (15) , Jacob W. (11) , James G. , Jason A. (8) , Jay I. (6) , Jenna A. (12) , Jon D. (12) , Jordyn P. (13) , Joey C. (7) , Justin A. (14) , Kaley Y. (11) , Kasey A. , Kathleen G. (6) , Kian J. (6) , Krish P. (9) , Lailah D. (11) , Layla Y. (9) , Legend S. (6) , Lexington R. (7) , Liam B. (12) , Liam G. (10) , Lucas M. (9) , Lucia M. (9) , Lucien F. (8) , Lucy C. (14) , Madison A. (9) , Madison P. (10) , Malaya V. (10) , Margot B. (3) , Maro Luc H. (14) , Martina G. (3) , Matt B. , Meadow C. (3) , Michael H. (25) , Miguel D. (21) , Mylan L. (12) , Natie A. (22) , Niko P. (4) , Paige S. (9) , Paris C. (10) , Pio T. (7) , Presley B. (6) , Preston W. (16) , Prisca L. (15) , Quan P. (10) , Rashod S. (16) , Reeves S. (15) , Rihanna R. (3) , Roberto S. , Samuel B. (12) , Sara T. (9) , Sayori D. (10) , Shaan P. (11) , Shavoni W. (11) , Sia A. (11) , Skylar S. (8) , Sofia S. (15) , Stella P. (8) , Stephen M. (11) , Sydney O. (6) , Tamia G. (3) , Thanvi S. (15) , Travis T. (7) , Tristan M. (26) , Ty-Jena L. (8) , Valentina G. (8) , Vanessa C. , Vera K. (8) , Vihaan K. (6) , Viviana T. (3) , Will C. (9) , Wyatt E. (9) , Zayden L. (12)

Video of the Month - "Teaching the Musician, Not the Instrument" | KC Tuazon - Senior Faculty

Mr. Tuazon shared this wonderful talk with our faculty and staff during this year's Fall Seminar. KC teaches all single reed woodwind instruments, flute, guitar, drums, and piano.

 

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 - Benjamin and Alex Mormino

This month’s Student Spotlight features Benjamin and Alex Mormino! Benjamin takes piano with Mr. Nicoli and is a part of Mr. Christian’s rock band in Mandeville, and Alex takes piano lessons in Covington! Benjamin has been taking lessons for over a year, and Alex has been taking lessons for 7 months.

Alex likes to listen to all sorts of music, but mainly any song that gets stuck in his head. His favorite artist is Bo Burnham or Ben Folds, and his favorite band is Anne Elise Hastings and her Revolving Cast of Characters. Benjamin likes to listen to Pop, Classic Rock, Alternative, and Indie. His favorite artist is BoyWithUke, and his favorite bands are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and AJR.

Alex likes taking lessons with Mr. Nicoli because Mr. Nicoli encourages him to advance in both his musical abilities and artistic endeavors. He likes taking lessons at LAAPA because the staff is incredibly nice and supportive of each students’ musical ventures. Thanks to lessons, Alex gained the ability to improvise and come up with his own music. Alex’s favorite part of lessons is learning new modes and songs. He feels that the more melodies he learns to play, the more unique his original music sounds.

Benjamin likes taking lessons with Mr. Nicoli because he is “an amazing teacher!!!” He is great at improv and is a great motivator! Mr. Christian, who is his rock band teacher, is great at thinking of a song and writing down the chords. He’s happy to report that “both of my teachers are great!” Benjamin likes taking lessons at LAAPA because he is able to see his personal growth. He says he had almost no musical experience before he came to LAAPA, but now he knows how to play a ton of songs. Thanks to lessons, Benjamin has the possibility of becoming a professional musician as an adult, which is “the best thing I could have possibly gained”. Benjamin’s favorite part of lessons is when he’s been struggling and finally gets that “Aha!” moment.

Alex would like to share that he always looks forward to coming to class, and he is excited to see how far he can progress with the help of LAAPA. Benjamin would like to share the reminder that your instrument is an extension of your body.

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

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

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