Monthly Newsletters - June 2024

Join the Fun this Summer - Concerts, Camps, Upcoming Events, and More!

Dear Students and Parents,

Summer is here, and if you haven’t ever had the opportunity to see our students perform, there is simply no better time to do so! Whether you enjoy music, dance, or drama, we will be holding over 20 different shows this month!

 

Our Virtual Concerts (which feature our music, dance, and acting students from LAAPAFEST) are well underway and will continue through the end of June. Our acting students are the show hosts! We had well over 150 performers at LAAPAFEST this year! We recorded each student performer and were extremely impressed with how well they were all prepared. What we really enjoyed about our student performances this year was the diversity in styles – rock, jazz, classical, country, modern, Christian, and more. We hope you get a chance to check them out! You can tune in to https://www.laapa.com/live to watch the most recent shows!

 

On Sunday, June 2, we will be holding several concerts featuring our LAAPAFEST Honors students at Fuhrmann Auditorium in Covington. Show times are 2:00 PM & 3:15 PM (music students) and 6:15 PM (dance students). At 4:30 PM, we’ll hold our Senior Music Concert featuring 5 long-time students – Anya Dupre, Olivia Bordelon, Frank J. DiGiovanni V, Sasha Franklin, and Paloma Panganiban. Admission is free!

 

Join us June 8 - 9 for our Northshore Drama department student showcases! Our Northshore acting students will present their Spring Showcase on June 8 (11:30). The Musical Theatre II class will present “Between the Lines” on June 8 (3:30 PM), and you have two chances to catch our production of “The Princess Bride” on June 8 (6 PM) and June 9 (2 PM)! All shows will be held at the Fuhrmann Auditorium in Covington.

 

On June 15, our Southshore acting students will present their Spring Showcase at the River Ridge School of Music & Dance Performance Hall A at 5:00 PM. This is a free performance, but seating is limited!

 

On June 16, our Northshore Musical Theatre I class will present a small showcase “A Walk on Broadway” at 2 PM at the Mandeville School of Music & Dance Performance Hall A. This is a free performance, but seating is limited!

 

June 22 - 23, the Covington School of Music and Mandeville School of Music & Dance will feature our music and dance students in concert at Covington’s Fuhrmann Auditorium in 6 full length performances. An awards ceremony follows each concert. Tickets are available at laapa.com/events.

 

On June 30, our Southshore musical theatre classes will present their showcases at the Solomon Theatre in Metairie for 12PM.

 

Finally, we conclude this exciting month with eight shows June 29 - 30 featuring our River Ridge School of Music musicians and dancers at the Solomon Theatre in Metairie. An awards ceremony follows each performance. Tickets are available at laapa.com/events.

 

We’re extremely excited to see all of our students perform! If this is your first time performing in a concert with us, please check out our full guide on “What to Expect at the Summer Concert” posted here.

 

As I’ve mentioned before, performing is a big part of what we do, and we absolutely love presenting the hard work of our students this time each year! For those prospective beginning parents and students reading this, it can, perhaps, seem a bit intimidating. Just keep in mind that not everyone at LAAPA enjoys performing or has a desire to get on stage when just getting started in lessons, and we certainly don’t force it on any of our students. Performing is always completely optional, and many students enjoy taking lessons just for their own enjoyment. However, I will say that your teacher will definitely encourage you when they see you are ready! Usually once you get on stage the first time, you can’t get enough of it. We see so many transformations from the initial shy performer unsure of their talent, to the confident semi-comedian taking triple bows who we almost can’t get off the stage. Watching these transformations in our students year over year are some of my most rewarding moments here over the past 20 years.

 

Good luck to everyone this month!

 

~ Ryan Cullen, Academy Director

Join the Fun this Summer!

This summer, ignite your child’s creativity at Summer Camp where they can explore over 20 music, dance and drama programs!

 

Learn more and reserve your spot at laapa.com/camp!

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 June Birthdays!

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

Abby B. [11] | Adalyn A. [4] | Addison G. [11] | Aiden B. [10] | Alexander H. [8] | Alexis D. [12] | Allison C. | Anita B. | Ansley M. [8] Arienne L. [3] | Azariah M. [7] | Baylor H. [10] | Benjamin B. [7] | Briana L. [13] | Bridget G. [10] | Brycen H. [11] | Calvin S. [12] | Camille C. [6] | Carmyn D. [4] | Chase P. [11] | Chloe N. [12] | Christian L. [10] | Claire E. [8] | Claire W. [4] | Cohen P. [9] | Cole R. [9] | Cullen S. [7] | Daniel K. [3] | Danna V. [9] | David B. [13] | Devin B. | Diana M. [11] | Eli N. [8] | Elizabeth L. [11] | Elliot P. [23] | Elowyn V. [7] | Elsie M. [12] | Emila W. [6] | Everlee C. [10] | Fairuz C. [2] | Fortune L. [7] | Grace G. [5] | Grace L. [21] | Hailey L. [8] | Harper G. [7] | Hayden F. [12] | Hugh L. [2] | Hunter M. [7] | Iliana C. [16] | Iris S. [7] | Isaac N. [6] | Isabel M. [8] | Isabella S. [9] | Isabelle W. [7] | Jace W. [8] | Jack W. [17] | Jackson D. [10] | Jackson O. [10] | Jacob E. [16] | Jasmine R. [17] | Jazlie-Ann C. [12] | Jesse W. | Jionni W. [11] | John S. | Joseph T. [12] | Joshua H. [3] | Josiah M. [5] | Julianne S. [18] | Kaiyah M. [9] | Kimberly W. | Layeska A. [4] | Lenny H. | Lexi D. [10] | Leyann N. [9] | Lidyn K. | Lila M. [11] | Lillian R. [12] | Lina B. [11] | Link W. [9] | Logan R. [11] | Londyn M. [11] | Louis K. [13] | Lucas K. [13] | Macyn C. [13] | Madeline D. [8] | Madelyn N. [9] | Mae K. [13] | Mako Z. [4] | Manuela C. [9] | Mara H. [8] | Margarita K. [14] | Maria O. [10] | Mary D. [18] | Megean S. | Meru D. [12] | Mia B. [13] | Michael S. [3] | Nolan C. [5] | Oliver P. [11] | Olivia B. [9] | Olivia V. [12] | Owen M. [4] | Petra Rose H. [8] | Phoebe C. [9] | Quincy W. [20] | Reese W. [7] | Ronan G. [15] | Rylie G. [8] | Ryohei H. [16] | Sami H. [7] | Sarah S. [15] | Sasha F. [21] | Shirley-Luz E. | Sidon C. [17] | Smira H. [10] | Sophia E. [13] | Steed P. [10] | Steve L. | Thomas H. [12] | Tommy H. [12] | Torey S. | Valentina C. [8] | Vaughn W. [10] | William L. [8] | Zachary L. [14] | Zackory K. [12] | Zarriah C. [13] | Zoe L. [15]

Video of the Month - "Student Profiles Series - Ben, Germany & Leigha"

Our "Student Profiles" series is back! Meet some of our amazingly talented music and dance students! In this episode, meet Ben (piano, drums, hip hop), Germany (piano, guitar), and Leah (ballet, hip hop, contemporary, dance company). Background music provided by Germany from her recent LAAPAFEST performance!

 

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 - George Babbel

This month’s Student Spotlight features Mandeville School of Music & Dance student George Babbel! George fifteen years and takes Mandolin and Saxophone lessons!

Outside of LAAPA, George’s main interest is in construction. He is heavily involved with the Louisiana Renaissance Festival! His favorite music is from 1920s to the mid-1960s. While he doesn’t have a favorite artist or band, he does enjoy Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole. Not having the opportunity to play as a child, today you can find George dabbling in multiple instruments, becoming somewhat of jack-of-all-trades.

He is thankful for Ben’s patience and critique while learning to play and for the musical companionship Dr. Mark provides, and he also appreciates that both instructors are able to collaborate with him as an adult student in terms of instruction and goals. George enjoys the environment LAAPA provides, as well as the kindness of the staff and faculty. His daughter previously took piano lessons for over a decade, and it was her experience that made George decide to take lessons himself. “The studio is very accommodating to the needs of the person,” he says.

We truly appreciate and enjoy having you as a student, George, and we look forward to another decade of learning alongside you!

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

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