Category: Community Outreach

A generous community member from Falls Church, VA recently contacted 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 45-year-old Wurlitzer 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 around $250-300 (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.

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).

 

This past fall, the Academy was delighted to receive a generous grant from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation for our Instruments in the Attic outreach program. The award included funds for two Music Teaching Scholars. We are happy to announce that Mason School of Music students Fiona Madigan and Jessica Camarata (pictured above) have been selected as our “Legend Leadership Award” winners!

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation‘s Legend Leadership Award symbolizes the Earnhardt family’s commitment to programs that promote Children, Education and Environmental/ Wildlife Preservation. Our Instruments in the Attic program, which provides donated/ recycled musical instruments and music instruction to school children, encompasses all of those aspects.

In particular, our Teaching Scholars program connects advanced Mason School of Music students (often Music Education majors) with local school band and orchestra programs, providing supportive music instruction and resources to music teachers and their classrooms. Along with invaluable classroom experience, the Scholars also receive a stipend to help pay for their college tuition.

 

 

Along with Jessica and Fiona, two other Academy-funded Scholars, Julie McDonald and Kate Shrimpton, will visit several local schools, including Woodburn Elementary and Rippon Middle School.

“Working with the orchestra students has brought me an incredible amount of experience that I wouldn’t have gotten without the Teaching Scholars program,” stated Fiona, who recently started at Woodburn. “The love that those students have for music continues to inspire me as I go further with my education, and being able to work with them gives [Jessica and me] opportunities to learn more, try new things, and most of all, appreciate music together. Thank you [to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation] for your kind gift, and for your appreciation and acknowledgment of the arts– everything you do helps students at every level, and the community as a whole!”

“The teaching scholars program has provided me an opportunity to share my passion and love for music to my students,” explained Jessica. “My time with my students has helped me to develop my own teaching style and share my musicianship. Because of this award, I am able to further my education and hone my teaching skills.”

 

 

An additional aspect of the award is the inclusion of an original, limited edition Dale Earnhardt Electric Guitar (signed by Ms. Earnhardt) – pictured above with members of the Academy Advisory Board and staff – which is being displayed at special events and making special appearances in the music classrooms.

Congratulations to our “Legend Leadership Award” Teaching Scholars, and thanks to all of the Scholars for their important work in our community. And, of course, a special thank you to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation for supporting our program.

 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TEACHING SCHOLARS OUTREACH PROGRAM

 

We were honored to find out recently that we were awarded a Project Support Grant from ARTSFAIRFAX, the county’s officially designated arts agency. The Faculty Chamber Ensemble Music Enrichment Project will send faculty chamber music groups into several local schools in Fairfax County to enrich the student experience through chamber music, interactive performance, and teaching.

“The educational and artistic goals of the project are to allow traditionally under-resourced students with an interest in music to have a more enriched experience through working directly with Academy faculty,” explained Academy Faculty Coordinator (and grant co-writer) Claire Allen. “Using chamber music as a vehicle to demonstrate the importance of working together for a goal and exposing them to a high level of playing and repertoire will encourage them to have a better appreciation of music and hopefully instill a lifelong desire to participate in their school music programs.”

“This project expands existing programs that fulfill multiple points from the Academy’s mission statement: creating impactful arts advocacy through community arts education engagement, creating community partnerships with schools, and building career paths for professional artists,” stated Academy Executive Director Libby Curtis. “In Mason Community Arts Academy’s ten year history, it has worked hard to create sustainable and enriching arts experiences that have developed deep ties to our surrounding community and schools.”

The project will culminate in a joint recital performance by the chamber groups, where students (and there parents) from the participating schools will be invited to attend the recital and a reception with the artists. The performance will also be free and open to the general public. More details to follow in the Spring!

 

 

The mission of ARTSFAIRFAX is to be “the voice of the arts, dedicated to fostering dynamic and diverse local arts, ensuring that arts thrive by providing vision, leadership, capacity building services, advocacy, funding, education, and information.”

The Academy would like to express our deep appreciation for the support received from ARTSFAIRFAX for this project.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR OUTREACH PROGRAMS