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Writer's pictureJoshua Rockwell

Making the Most With Music: A Year in Review - 2023


2023 Spring Recital Group Photo


2023 has been an exciting year for Academy of Sound and we know 2024 will be wonderful, too!

This past year started out with our 20th Annual Spring Recitals, showcasing some of the special events we've had during our twenty years of providing music lessons to the Oregon area. What started out as Erin’s Piano Studio, has blossomed into what we are today. Featured in this recital was a performance by our dedicated staff, Disney's ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ from Encanto and just in case you missed it, you can watch all our recital performances and other past events on our YouTube Channel linked here.



Cinderella 2023 Cast Picture


In June, we held our yearly childrens' musical. This year, we produced Cinderella, and the kids had a blast! The young actors got the chance to portray all kinds of interesting roles. The mice and evil stepsisters definitely stood out! Cinderella sang beautifully as it all came to an end. The kids prepared for a short two weeks with director, Ms. Elisa, to deliver this show. The performance was on June 24, 2023 and featured our largest cast yet with 20 students! Be on the lookout for more information about this year's musical so your student doesn’t miss out on the fun. We will be announcing this years summer childrens' musical very soon!


Glowstick Bucket Drumming Group Photo


In addition to the musical, this summer featured our first ever Bucket Drumming performance! To kick off having drums back at Academy of Sound, our drum teacher, Mr. Michael, lead a group of 20 students for a weeklong crash course in bucket drumming. They learned two songs over this week, Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and Uptown Funk (Ronson ft. Bruno Mars). This was an exciting new opportunity to learn the basics of drumming, and some of the participants are continuing to learn drums privately with Michael. We hope to put on more Bucket Drumming performances in the future, with glowsticks of course!


Ms. Elisa Conducting the 2023 Holiday Choir


Most recently, we held our Winter Recital, which featured our newly formed Holiday Children’s Choir. Directed by Ms. Elisa, the performance featured three holiday songs that served as the finale to our recital. The kids had a great time, and got to dress up in their best holiday attire for their on-stage performance. The songs featured soloists as well as piano accompaniment by our own teachers. We haven’t had a holiday choir at Academy of Sound since 2009, and it was great to bring it back! In addition, private students showcased their musical growth with beautiful classical, winter-themed, and holiday pieces. A student ensemble performed 'Snowman' by Sia and it was pretty amazing to see how the musical skills gained in private lessons combined perfectly into an ensemble. We finished the show with a traditional cookie reception to celebrate the students' hard work and performances. It was a truly joyful day!


 

Academy of Sound Foundation, Inc. Ready to Assist More Budding Musicians With Scholarships


The Spring and Winter Recitals are the biggest fundraisers for the Academy of Sound Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 charity whose mission is "funding an encouraging private music lessons."


During 2023, the organization:

  • Received $919 in donations at the Spring Recitals

  • Received $140 in donations at the Summer Recital

  • Received $913 in donations at the Winter Recital

  • Received a total of $2,582 in direct public support (including the recitals listed above)

  • Received 2 scholarship applications, and funded 100% of these applicants' requests

  • Received the "Platinum Seal of Transparency" for 2024, awarded by Candid/GuideStar, demonstrating the organization's commitment to transparency to the highest available level


If you'd like to support the Academy of Sound Foundation with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1219852


All donations are tax-deductible.

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