Categories
Community Outreach Music

New Video About The Narrative Machine Project

A new video has just been published about the Narrative Machine project, which the Academy is participating in by way of contributing musical instruments (through our Instruments in the Attic program). An engineering professor and an art professor have embarked on an ambitious project to create an orchestra of robotic gadgets made of cast-off musical instruments that will autonomously perform an opera bearing a social message.

 

 

The project originated as a collaborative initiative between Mason Community Arts Academy, Mason’s School of Art, Mason’s School of Engineering and the Patriot Green Fund. From there, Mason professors Edgar Endress (Art) and Daniel Lofaro (Engineering) have spearheaded the progress of the project, building a growing “robotic orchestra” of instruments.

The Academy is very excited to see the Narrative Machine project continue to expand and evolve!

 

READ MORE ABOUT THE NARRATIVE MACHINE PROJECT

 

Categories
Acting Community Outreach Music

Arts By George 2018 Performance!

Students and faculty from Mason Community Arts Academy were invited to perform at this year’s Arts By George! fundraising event hosted by George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Led by directors Libby Curtis and Mary Lechter, the ensemble performed a musical number featuring actors from our theater division, a solo pianist, young violin students, an adult student singer, student flutists, and faculty violinists, pianists, guitarists, and percussionists.

“The Academy was honored to be a feature presenter for Arts by George 2018!” said Director Libby Curtis. “I was so proud of all our students and faculty – and excited to perform alongside them! – and received many wonderful comments from those in attendance. As the biggest fundraiser for the College of Visual and Performing Arts, I’m also happy to report that we received several donations because of the great work and enthusiasm that our students displayed. I can’t thank everyone enough for going the extra mile to make this a great success!”

 

Please enjoy these photos taken by students, parents, and faculty throughout the evening:

 

Approximately 500 gala event guests enjoyed the ARTS by George! Benefit on September 29th. Overall, the benefit garnered more than $140,000 in support of CVPA student scholarships and community arts programs, which include Great Performances at Mason, Green Machine Ensembles, and Mason Community Arts Academy. Thank you to all of the patrons, donors, artists, students, faculty, and staff members who made ARTS by George! 2018 such a success!

 

Categories
Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic Music

Academy Receives Dale Earnhardt Foundation Award

We are thrilled to announce that the Academy has been honored with the Legend Leadership Award from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, specifically for our Instruments in the Attic donation and outreach music program. The prestigious grant award continues the late great Dale Earnhardt’s commitment to supporting programs that focus on children, education, and environmental/ wildlife preservation.

The award includes a generous financial gift from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, earmarked for expenses related to musical instrument repair and for scholarship funds for two Mason student “Teaching Scholars”, plus an official certificate, a book about Mr. Earnhardt, and finally a signed, limited edition Epiphone electric guitar (pictured above).

 

Dale Earnhardt Legend Leadership Award

 

“On behalf of the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, we would like to congratulate you, and the Instruments in the Attic program, as one of our selected Legend Leadership Award Winners,” stated Dale Earnhardt Foundation representative Rhonda Phipps in a letter to the Academy. “In recognition of this creative program, and the leadership of your [Mason] students, [the grant award will] help the program to continue and expand. Congratulations on all your achievements and we know that you, and Instruments in the Attic, will continue to make a positive impact with the students in your community through the universal gift of music.”

The Instruments in the Attic program accepts gently-used instruments from generous community members who no longer have need of them, but can’t bear the thought of throwing them away. As funding allows, the Academy repairs the instruments to playable condition (as necessary) and then places them in various school or community music programs and into the hands of deserving young students who might not otherwise be able to participate in the joy of music-making.

Through the Teaching Scholars program (also part of Instruments in the Attic), a select group of Mason School of Music students (often Music Education majors) are awarded scholarships based on academic achievement and passion for music education. These Teaching Scholars are sent to local schools in the community to provide auxiliary music classes for young students, as well as auxiliary support to the music teachers in those schools.

 

Academy staff with Dale Earnhardt guitar
(Academy staff with the Dale Earnhardt limited edition Epiphone guitar)

 

The financial award from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation will allow for more instruments to be repaired and “re-used”, and will increase the number of Teaching Scholar scholarship awards that can be given. The heightened exposure of the program will also provide long-term sustainable benefits.

We would like to give a very sincere thank you to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, and the Earnhardt family, for recognizing our efforts to give access to quality music education and experiences to all community members, and for helping us “recycle” the love of music for all to enjoy!

 

Dale Earnhardt Foundation Logo
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DALE EARNHARDT FOUNDATION

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT INSTRUMENTS IN THE ATTIC

 

Categories
Announcements Community Outreach

Summer Camp T-Shirt Giveaway

After a very successful season of summer arts programs for kids and teens, we have a small stash of summer camp T-shirts left over. Whether you participated in one of the programs or not, if you would like to look through what’s available, feel free to stop in to the office during regular business hours.

We have leftover Adult and Child sized T-shirts (in limited and varied size and quantity) from the following 2018 programs:

  • Summer Music Intensive (Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Percussion, Music Composition, & Music Recording)
  • Summer Piano Academy
  • Summer Art Camps
  • Summer Film & Video Camps
  • Violin/ Viola Bootcamp
  • Ovations Strings Academy
  • Filmscoring Workshop

T-shirts will be available (while supplies last) through October 15, 2018. After that, any remaining T-shirts will be donated to a local shelter.

Summer 2019 program information will be updated on our website by January 15, 2019. 

Categories
Announcements Community Outreach Music

Piano Available to Good Home – Posted 08/09/18

A generous community member from Loudoun County recently called the Academy about donating her acoustic upright piano to a good home. If anyone is interested in accepting this donation, please contact us asap.

The piano (pictured above) is a circa 1960 Baldwin acoustic upright. The piano itself would be free of charge (to a good home); however, the recipient is required to pay for the moving expense, which averages $300-$400 (when using a professional piano moving company) depending on the distance traveled, number of stairs involved, etc. Also, acoustic pianos usually require a tuning from a professional piano tuner after a move as well.

 

Piano donation

 

If you think you have a need (and a space) for this piano, it’s a great opportunity to look into. As per usual, we will handle this on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please email us at academy@gmu.edu  (no phone calls please).

The Academy will be closed for Spring Break beginning Monday, March 25 and will re-open on Monday, April 1. We will be operating with limited hours. For any urgent requests, please call 703-993-9889.

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