Monthly Newsletters - December 2024

2024 in Review: A Heartfelt “Thank You” to our Students, Families, Faculty & Staff

Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, and Staff:

 

I just finished the dishes after having the last piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving - I checked and everyone else said I was all clear to go for it. Once again, it’s that time of the year for our year in review! As our 46th year at LAAPA concludes, I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect a bit on our mission and accomplishments for 2024! So, every year I do this, I know it can get a little sappier, but too bad, I’m writing it anyway, because we have a lot to be thankful for!

 

Of course, we begin with a huge thank you to our parents and adult students for making the performing arts a priority in your lives and the lives of your families. We are honored that you have allowed all of us here at LAAPA to be a part of your journey through music, dance, and drama. Being able to share what I consider one of the greatest gifts the world has to offer and see how it transforms the lives of our students and families is an awesome privilege. I believe our faculty and staff would concur on this point.

 

Parents, we truly would not be here without your commitment to your children’s education. Whether they continue education in the arts at the professional level down the road or are just happy building their love for music, dance and drama, we know that they will look back on their experiences with grateful hearts. Additionally, your children are building skills that will translate well and positively impact any future profession.

 

Faculty, thank you for everything to you bring to LAAPA. We are privileged to be working with some of the most talented educators and performers in our region. Our faculty members are hired here at LAAPA for many reasons, but one above all others is their love of their craft and genuine enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge. Making the learning experience for our students seamless, entertaining, and progressive is their goal each week. One of the things that students can always count on here at LAAPA is that no matter what their day was like at work or at school, their teachers will be here to consistently uplift them with their warm personalities, occasional jokes, and pedagogical prowess, instantly transforming a challenging or “just OK” day into an exceptional one. We receive countless applications each year from prospective educators (many times unsolicited), and while many are excellent performers or may be qualified, not everyone has the unique ability to communicate their experience and methods in a variety of intelligible and personable ways like our faculty do.

 

I’m equally grateful for our administrative staff! No matter how you look at it, keeping up with customer service for nearly 1,900 students, hundreds of families, and 70 faculty members takes a lot of patience and hard work! Despite this, they continue to excel at what they do with excellent leadership by our management. All of our administrative team members additionally bring unique talents and interests in the performing arts to LAAPA, and it is a true joy allowing them to put those talents to work and watch as they continue to grow their skills in many niche areas.

 

I am incredibly thankful to our students for their commitment to their studies in the performing arts. Our lives in 2024 are so busy, and even compared to just a few years ago, we are all overscheduled with activities and a long list of daily “to-do’s.” Hearing and seeing you improve each week, while having fun at the same time, is an awesome experience. One of my greatest privileges is seeing our students grow here, from their first performance to their final bow. It’s an incredible transformation. Of course, music, dance, and drama classes are all proven ways of relieving stress, improving mental focus, and releasing emotional energy. Remember that developing your talents in the performing arts will positively influence not only your own life, but the lives of those around you! You never know when someone else might be listening or watching you practice or perform and thinking, “Wow, that looks/sounds amazing! I bet I would have fun doing that too!...”

 

Over the past year we’ve held numerous productions: senior recitals, recording sessions, full stage musicals and plays, black box showcases, improv and jam nights, and full music concerts. If you haven’t already done so, please check out our social media pages at facebook.com/laapaface and instagram.com/louisianaacademy where we post many pictures and videos from our various events!

 

Music concerts for the River Ridge School of Music & Dance will be held on Saturday, December 14 at Victory Church in Metairie. Our music concerts for the Covington and Mandeville Schools of Music will be held Saturday and Sunday December 21-22 at the Fuhrmann Auditorium in Covington. Student performance times will be sent out via email. A livestream for all productions will be available at www.laapa.com/live for all those who are unable to attend in-person.

 

This year, all of our December music concerts will be supporting a local nonprofit called “Brave Heart, Children in Need.” Brave Heart is focused on improving the quality of life for children who are experiencing the trauma of being removed from their homes due to abuse and/or neglect. Brave Heart participates in many community projects and activities regarding the challenges facing Louisiana’s most vulnerable population - children in the foster care system. Please note that this year we will be accepting financial donations in the form of check or credit card. We are unable to receive physical goods/gifts as in years past. In lieu of donations the day of the concert for entry, you may present your receipt should you prefer to give online. For more information, please visit www.laapa.com/mission.

 

December 7, be on the lookout for the Mandeville Dance Company at the Covington Lollipop Parade and the River Ridge Dance Company at the Kenner Christmas Village! Join us in EJ Dufour Hall on December 8 & 15 and at Fuhrmann Auditorium on December 22 for “The Great Gatsby!” Our annual Winter Variety Show featuring our drama students will be held on December 23 in EJ Dufour Hall! All of our dance students will be featured in our on-campus “Holiday Magic” class showcases December 14-21. We can’t wait to see the final results of many weeks of preparations!

 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!

 

~ Ryan Cullen, Executive Director

Student News - December 2024

Several of Mrs. Rebecca's piano and voice students recently participated in the North Shore Music Teachers' Association Solo and Duet Festival. They all did fantastic jobs and received Superior ratings from the judges! Students who participated include Sasha F., Sarah S., Aaron R., Bernadette H., Maddox B., Pierce C., Zarriah C., Brielle H., Amanda J., Gracyn D., and Brady M.!

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 December Birthdays!

We'd like to wish the following students a very Happy Birthday this month!

Aaron Z. [13], Ada T. [8], Aleksander L. [8], Alex M. [10], Alex C. [16], Alexander M. [14], Alyssa D. [12], Amelia R. [14], Amilia S. [4], Anna L. [6], Aria H. [10], Audrie B. [14], Ava M. [15], Beau B. [8], Beckett M. [7], Ben I., Blake N. [13], Braden C. [14], Brenna H., Briggs S. [8], Bruce F. [9], Caleb B. [7], Camila V. [6], Camila C. [3], Cannon F. [11], Carmen L., Carter B. [7], Cecilia L. [13], Charlotte T. [13], Christa B. [10], Clay C., Collins Q. [7], Delilah I. [11], Don C. [9], Dylan M. [7], Eleanore C. [9], Elianna S. [11], Ella C. [16], Elliot W. [3], Emilio E. [7], Emma J. [6], Ethan S. [9], Ethan B. [12], Evan C. [13], Evelyn C. [16], Everett L. [8], Finley T. [15], Gabriel B. [10], Gabriel B. [15], George B. [13], George B., George R., George P. [10], Georgia B. [4], Hannah W. [15], Hayden P. [12], Ian S. [9], Ishi A. [3], Jade N. [16], Jaime D. [15], James D., Jaythan G. [7], Jiya G. [5], John C., Jonah S. [9], Jonas A. [9], Jordan B. [9], Joseph S. [5], Julian B. [9], Julianne M. [5], Kamryn A. [11], Karthik A., Katey S. [13], Kimea C. [12], Laniyah B. [8], Lavender L. [11], Laylah W. [10], Leigha S. [13], Levi W. [10], Lila A. [10], Lillian W. [2], Lillian P. [10], Lincoln B. [7], Logan C., Lorelei D. [12], Lucas B. [13], Lucia B. [5], Lucille B. [6], Macey D. [16], Madeline M. [9], Maggie L. [18], Maria S. [14], Melody B. [14], Michael O. [15], Michelle S., Morghan D. [8], Myla G. [5], Myra M. [6], Nathan H. [8], Nick V. [15], Nico R. [9], Nicole B., Noah R. [7], Nora L. [2], Olivia M. [8], Rhett D. [8], Riley S. [7], Rosalie S. [6], Ryan W. [6], Ryder G. [10], Sandra D., Sasha G. [10], Selina X. [10], Shaan K. [10], Simmone T. [5], Sophia B. [16], Sophie B. [9], Soren S. [7], Stephanie O., Sylvia J. [11], Tammy L., Theresa B., Valeria A. [5], Viktor W. [8], Violet G. [8], Vivian A. [6], Vivienne D. [14], Waylon C. [11], Yousef F. [15], Yumi P. [5], Zoey P. [14]

Video of the Month - A Holiday Duet - Layne C. & Tyler S. | Voice Lessons & More for All Ages!

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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!

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Student Spotlight - Imani Hammond

This month’s Student Spotlight features River Ridge School of Music & Dance student Imani Hammond! Imani has been taking acting lessons for just over one year now at LAAPA, and she’s even been cast in our larger productions like “Annie JR” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!”

Outside of LAAPA, Imani enjoys baking, reading, writing, arts and crafts, and volunteering! Her favorite drama genre is fantasy anime, and her favorite artist is a dancer, Misty Copeland. BLACKPINK is Imani’s favorite girl group! Whatever she chooses to do in her future, Imani is certain that it will be a continuation of things that she already enjoys doing; her biggest goal is to set an example for other young women in whichever career she chooses.

Imani’s favorite thing about her instructor, Ms. Bridget, is that she believes in Imani in whatever she does and helps her to become a better actress. Her favorite part of lessons is collaboration with others. Imani also loves the positivity that exudes from LAAPA and its staff and faculty. She has gained immense confidence from her acting lessons and is so grateful for that. We are so proud to see how much you’ve grown and all that you’ve accomplished, Imani, and cannot wait to see what the future brings!

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

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