Keeping Your Skills Up Over the Summer

Hello AOS Students, Families, and Friends,

We're rolling into July and can't believe how fast the summer is going! Our summer sessions of lessons are currently underway, and it's amazing how fast everything is going. This newsletter will cover news for June and July, and believe us -- there's a lot going on!

Cinderella- It isn't too late to take part!

Auditions took place for our summer musical production of Cinderella on Monday July 8th. Everything is being held at the Oregon Youth Center (110 N. Oak St. Oregon, WI 53575.) The cast lists have been announced and are posted at www.academyofsound.org/cinderella

If your child between the ages of 6 and 12 would like to participate but missed auditions, please contact Miss Elisa at elisa@academyofsound.org and she will see how your child can fit in!

Alumni News- Where are they now???

From 2011-2013, Shannon Prickett was a voice teacher at AOS. Where is she these days? We had a chance to check in with her recently and here's what she had to say!

"Since leaving AOS, I graduated from The University of Wisconsin-Madison with my M.M. - Opera. Upon graduating, I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to be a Resident Artist with Minnesota Opera. I sang over 3 dozen operative roles with them and covered numerous major roles. After my three years with Minnesota Opera, I moved to Hawaii. Because of my love for teaching and wanting to start a family, I became a Fine Arts teacher with a private school called Corvid Academy. There, I start a music program which features a musical concert every year and one major musical production. I have directed Grease, West Side Story and Enchanted Dreams - A Disney Dream since being with them. Along side of my teaching job, I also established and grew my own music studio which teaches piano and voice to over 20 students under my direction. Many students have moved on to musical academies and programs around the United States. " Thank you for sharing, Shannon- It's great to hear from you!

If you are an alumni (or family member of one) with an update to share, please email Erin at erin@academyofsound.org New Instructors Sought! Are you or someone you know looking to do more studio teaching in the 2019-2020 school year? We've got openings in drums, piano, and voice. Please check out our website to learn more and for application details.  Scholarships Available for 2019-2020 study at Academy of Sound!

We don't want anyone to be denied lessons due to financial challenges. In addition to offering top-of-the-line music lessons, scholarships are offered through the Academy of Sound Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. More information as well as a link to the application itself can be found here. Applications are currently being accepted, and we encourage early submission to maximize consideration time.

Reasons to Continue Lesson Study in the Summer:

Summer can be busy- that's not something that you need to tell us! When making time to cram everything in this summer, it might be easy to trim a few things, such as music lessons. While we encourage families to take some time away in the summer and make memories together, we would suggest not taking the entire summer off if possible. Here are some of the reasons why.

1. More focus on music Without a school year schedule, extracurriculars, and other various homework requirements, summer can be a time to focus more heavily on instrument. This is a great time to set a bigger goal, such as working towards an audition or performance.  2. Try something new It's true- summer is a great time to try a new instrument! If you've been considering piano, guitar or drum lessons, this is the time to do it! Like mentioned in the previous item, having more time available can allow for students to get a solid foundation in basic technique.

3. More schedule flexibility Do you ever feel like you are running between school, lessons, and family commitments during the year? Many students find that summer is a lot less stressful and there is more flexibility in schedule. During the year, it might be difficult to find a time to reschedule BUT a more flexible summer schedule can be a different situation entirely!

4. Keep the skill going! This might seem obvious BUT summer lessons are an important way to keep the skills learned during the school year lessons going. In addition to setting goals, trying something new or flexibility in scheduling, keeping a skill going is important. Imagine taking three or so months off from your instrument? What do you think could change over that time? Are you worried that it's too late to get enrolled in lessons at Academy of Sound this summer? Don't fear- it's not too late! With several weeks still left in our summer sessions, we'd love to get you added! Check out our current lesson openings right here! We'll be back in August with some more updates and details.  Until then, have a wonderful July!