Monthly Newsletters - November 2024

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 holiday decor flashing away and 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 2024 productions being just a few weeks away!

 

The season kicks off with performances from our acting and musical theatre students - showcases will be held at the Mandeville School of Music and Dance on November 2 for acting (4-6:45PM) and November 3 for musical theatre (12-1:45PM).

 

The Mandeville School of Music & Dance will be participating in both music & dance performances at the Mandeville Trailhead on 11/16 beginning at 10:00AM.

 

Next up is Dance Company! Mandeville Dance Co. students will be performing in the Veterans Day Parade on 11/9 (11:00 AM) and at the Covington Christmas Lollipop Parade (4:00 PM). River Ridge Dance Co. students will be performing at the Rivertown Christmas Village (6:00 PM). Both performances will be December 7!

 

All dance students and parents should mark your calendars for our “Holiday Magic” in-studio showcases beginning Dec 14-21. All parents are welcome to come into class on these showcase days for a special end of the year performance!

 

Our college prep acting program will be presenting “The Great Gatsby” over the course of three weekends – December 8, December 15, and December 22. The first two performances will be held at the Mandeville School of Music & Dance; the final performance will be held at Fuhrmann Auditorium in downtown Covington, and all performances will feature a live jazz quartet.

 

Our 4th annual Winter Variety Show will be held December 23 (6-7PM) 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 main event of December will be our winter music concerts - these will benefit Brave Heart, a nonprofit organization that 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. You can learn more about the mission at www.laapa.com/mission.

 

Music students should sign up for our winter concerts by Monday, November 4th! Learn more here: 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:

 

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.

 

1.) 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.

 

2.) 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.

 

3.) 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!

 

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

 

5.) For strings, brass, and woodwinds - 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 faculty will be on hand to help you tune before the concert begins as well.

 

6.) There are no tickets to purchase for our Christmas Music Concerts. In lieu of tickets, we ask for donations to the nonprofit organization Brave Heart. More information on this mission is available at www.laapa.com/mission.

 

7.) Professional videos are available; just specify a video for each performance when filling out the participation form.

 

8.) Seating for parents and guests is all on a first-come, first-served basis. Each concert will typically last up to 1 ½-2 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, Academy Director

Congratulations to faculty members Emma Biondolillo and Samantha Sevin for their performances in SELU's production of Rossini's "La Cambiale di Matrimonio!"

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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 November Birthdays!

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

Abby K. [15], Adalynn B. [13], Aidan P. [11], Alani L. [17], Alex G., Alexander P. [14], Alexandra M. [17], Alma R. [2], Alyson A. [10], Alyssandra T. [13], Amelia C. [10], Andrea H. [16], Anna Luiza P. [11], Ari H. [4], Aubrey V. [10], Bailey B. [13], Benjamin D. [16], Benjamin V., Betty Drew H. [8], Bodhi W. [10], Brandi K., Brennan B. [11], Caitlin G. [12], Camille B. [10], Campbell M. [13], Carly D., Cayden R. [15], Charlotte B. [5], Chloe A. [17], Christopher G., Claire D. [7], Cole P. [16], Colin B. [18], Cora L. [8], Dahra H. [5], Daniel M., David E., Delilah K. [12], Diane P. [6], Eliana C. [6], Elijah R. [4], Elyse H. [6], Emma R. [9], Emmaline M. [7], Emmarose O. [9], Emmylou S. [2], Evan B. [13], Evangeline M. [9], Evelyn R. [16], Faith B. [6], Frankie D. [19] Gabrielle P. [5], Genevieve G. [8], Gloria S. [3], Grace R. [14], Hailey H. [6], Hailey F., Heather M., Hunter H. [9], Hunter T. [8], Izzy M. [10], Jacob W. [12], Jason A. [9], Jay I. [7], Jazmyn F. [5], Jenna R. [13], Jenna S., Jon D. [13], Jordyn P. [14], Josephine C. [8], Josephine D. [12], Justin A. [15], Karolyn P. [2], Katherine A. [6], Kathleen G. [7], Kennedi W. [8], Kian J. [7], Krish P. [10], Lailah D. [12], Lauren R. [14], Legend S. [7], Liam B. [13], Londyn S. [7], Luca R. [2], Lucas M. [10], Lucia M. [10], Lucy C. [15], Madelyn S. [8], Madison P. [11], Margot B. [4], Mariana C. [8], Mariella B. [9], Maro Luc H. [15], Martina G. [4], Michael H., Miguel D., Mila B. [9], Molly G. [13], Monnie F. [5], Nathanael N. [11], Niana M. [7], Nicholas C. [13], Nora P. [3], Paige S. [10], Pio T. [8], Preston W. [17] Prisca L. [16], Quan P. [11], Rashod S. [17], Reeves S. [16], Remi W. [8], Roy C., Ruben S. [17], Sable M., Samuel B. [13], Sandra T., Sara T. [10], Sayori D. [11], Shaan P. [12], Skylar S. [9], Sofia S. [16], Solangel P. [10], Stephanie C., Stephen M. [12], Sydney O. [7], Sydney S., Sydney S. [16], Thanvi S. [16],Travis T. [8], Varenya G. [7], Vihaan K. [7], Viviana T. [4], Will C. [10], Zoe H. [6]

Video of the Month - "What's Up" - Bethany Lang | Voice Lessons & More for Adults!

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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 - Ryan Tanguis

This month’s Student Spotlight features Covington School of Music student Ryan Tanguis! Ryan is a longtime LAAPA student; he’s been taking piano lessons with us for nearly 4 years! He’s quite proud of his accomplishments thus far, and so are we!

Outside of LAAPA, Ryan is a part of his school’s swim team. He also recently joined the school band and is playing trombone! Ryan’s favorite music genre is pop rock. His favorite artist is Elton John, and Imagine Dragons is his favorite band! Ryan has big dreams of becoming either an Olympic swimmer or a computer coder when he gets older.

Ryan’s favorite things about his instructor, Mr. Nicoli, are his kindness, his openness, and his attitude. Mr. Nicoli teaches in such a way that it is easy for him to learn, especially when it comes to hand-picked songs. Ryan’s favorite things about LAAPA are the plethora of instruments from which to choose, performance opportunities, and the instructors. His favorite part of lessons is reviewing what he’s practiced over the previous week since his last lesson - always aiming to improve! Ryan says he has gained a deeper understanding of note reading/thoery from his lessons, and his confidence has soared when it comes to performances. We are lucky to have you here with us at LAAPA, Ryan, and cannot wait to see all that you accomplish in the future!

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!