Mason Community Arts Academy
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Announcements

Virginia House Of Delegates Honors MCAA and AFYP

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This week, Delegate Kathy Tran presented our Executive Director Mary Lechter with House Resolution 804, in honor of Acting for Young People’s 25th anniversary in 2022. Co-signed by Delegate David Bulova and unanimously approved by the entire House of Delegates, the Resolution highlights AFYP’s long history in the surrounding community, and the even greater impact these programs have had, made possible in collaboration with Mason Community Arts Academy.

“I’m truly humbled by this honor.” notes Ms. Lechter. “This recognition is especially meaningful, as we have had the opportunity to work with children from both the Tran and Bulova families in our Acting and Music programs over the years. Perhaps most important of all is the feedback Delegate Tran shared in person, and includes in the Resolution itself, commending our staff and faculty for the authentic experiences they provide for our students. It has always been my goal to provide a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment in which students can learn and grow. I am touched that we’ve been acknowledged for this core value of our programs.”

We look forward to providing quality arts education to the community for the next 25 years and beyond!

Written by Mary Lechter
Edited by Regina Schneider

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Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic

MCAA Congratulates GRAMMY Award winner and Instruments in the Attic Recipient Annie Ray

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Throughout its existence, Mason Community Arts Academy’s Instruments in the Attic (IiA) Program has had the pleasure of providing recycled instruments to teachers and students in Northern Virginia, the DMV, as well as throughout the United States and abroad, in addition to serving our local community here. Our goal is always to get our inventory into the hands of those that need it, and thanks to the generosity of donors, we are able to continuously fulfill our mission and provide teachers with the instruments and supplies they need to create a lasting impact through music education. As a result, we have been fortunate to connect and develop lasting relationships with incredible and inspiring teachers in our local community and beyond.

Two of IiA’s main supporters are Jenna and Jason Day, of Day Violins. Their immense generosity, tireless dedication to our program and its mission, and unending willingness to volunteer their time makes all of IiA’s string instrument loans possible. They are a critical piece of IiA’s impact and existence, and their connection to the community both locally and afar has allowed our program to broaden its reach and strengthen its influence.

In 2022, Jenna Day connected Annie Ray (Annandale High School Orchestra Director and Performing Arts Chair) with IiA after learning that her program’s need of instruments was hindering the aspirations and goals she had for her students. Ray had goals of starting the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe developmental and intellectual disabilities. Her goal was to teach these students how to play an instrument with one-on-one instruction tailored to their needs, and she was seeking the inventory to be able to make it happen.

There are people that come into your life that touch your heart instantly and so deeply that you are a better person forever. Annie Ray’s positive attitude and ability to always see the potential in others has motivated me to reach deeper and further into the community to bless lives with IIA instruments. Through my involvement with the Crescendo Orchestra, I have been reminded that music is the universal language, one we can all speak.

Jenna Day, describing Annie Ray

The Crescendo Orchestra is among Annie Ray’s many accomplishments and endeavors through which she changes her students’ lives for the better. On February 3, 2024, Ray was presented with the 2024 GRAMMY Music Educator Award. Annie Ray was selected as the GRAMMY winner out of more than 2,000 initial nominees and was honored in Los Angeles as a part of GRAMMY Week.

I am honored to have received this award on behalf of the students of Annandale, Crescendo, and Parent Orchestras who every day teach me so much more than I will ever teach them. This award belongs not to me, but the community of musicians, teachers, and supporting organizations that make our program what it is. Thank you especially to Instruments in the Attic for supplying the instruments to Crescendo Orchestra that give our students access to music making. I encourage directors to look into the resources of United Sound, Giving Bach, String Rise, and other organizations so every student can have the opportunity to be a part of our ensembles.

Annie Ray

Mason Community Arts Academy and Instruments in the Attic extend our sincerest congratulations to Annie Ray and her students on this incredible accomplishment. We are fortunate to have educators like Ms. Ray in our community and look forward to continued collaboration. 

Written by Dr. Samantha Clarke
Edited by Regina Schneider

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Instruments in the Attic

Eagle Scout Instruments in the Attic Project

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At the Academy building, a normally quiet Saturday in March was filled with the sounds of drills, stairs creaking with Boy Scouts and parents moving instruments up and down, and voices echoing with instructions, chatter, and laughter. Scouts from Troop 1865 were working on a project led by Robinson High School sophomore, Brendan Williamson.

Initial Outreach

Brendan initially reached out to our previous Instruments in the Attic Coordinator, Dr. Samantha Clarke, to inquire about the possibility of supporting IiA through his Eagle Scout project. Even though this was after she had left the Academy, Samantha was still periodically checking her George Mason University email at the time. She then passed the message along to Executive Director Mary Lechter and Coordinator of Music Programs and Outreach, Lucas Kremer. Lucas reached out to Brendan to set up a meeting to visit the Academy facilities and discuss ideas for the project.

Logging and tagging instruments
Cleaning instruments
Parents working on the storage shelves

From the initial meeting, Mary and Lucas were immediately impressed by Brendan’s ideas for the project, as well as his openness to their thoughts on what would be most beneficial to IiA. Throughout the planning and execution phases of the project, he showed incredible initiative, leadership, and attention to detail beyond his years.

Brendan’s Experience

Brendan writes about his experience around the project:

“Many old instruments sitting unused in attics, basements, or closets go overlooked. But each one has the potential to inspire a new musician who otherwise might not have access to musical education. Through my Eagle Scout project with Instruments in the Attic, I helped them collect, clean and refurbish these instruments so they could find homes with aspiring musicians.

I chose Instruments in the Attic for my eagle scout project because I am a violist at Robinson High School who is passionate about music and musical education. I wanted to help others acquire the opportunity to have a quality education like mine. I had heard about IiA from an adult in my troop, and I immediately knew that I wanted to do my project with them.

For my project, I reached out to local music stores, students at my school, and members of my scout troop for donations. My efforts were successful. I was able to collect 30 instruments for the organization. The next phase of my project included constructing new shelves to improve instrument storage capacity, and designing an online inventory system to make it easier for IiA to process requests for instruments, and see what repairs each instrument needs before it is ready to be sent out.

Managing the multiple aspects of the project, including instrument cleaning, logging items into the inventory system, and shelf construction, simultaneously was difficult, but rewarding. Thankfully, I had lots of support from my scout troop and friends, so we were able to successfully execute the project. I would definitely recommend a similar project to anyone who is interested in helping out the musical community. Having the opportunity to make a positive impact, especially in an area that you are passionate about, is an incredible experience, and I am so lucky to have been able to work with the wonderful people at Instruments in the Attic and the Mason Arts Community Academy.”

Brendan (right) with IiA founder and Academy Board Member J.P. Phaup (left)

New IiA Inventory System

Thanks to the efforts of Brendan and his team of 24 volunteers, IiA now has increased functionality in our storage room and a brand-new inventory system. The Academy and IiA are incredibly appreciative of everyone’s time and effort into this project!

Through our Instruments in the Attic program, we are able to assist in providing instruments to students and teachers around the Northern Virginia area, the country, and beyond! Read more stories on IiA and find out how you can support our mission.

Written by Lucas Kremer, Brendan Williamson, Regina Schneider
Edited by Regina Schneider

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Instruments in the Attic

Instruments in the Attic Donates 73 Instruments to Support Guatemala Schools

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Mark Denicore cofounded the non-profit organization, Changing Latitudes, to “raise awareness and funds for the less fortunate.” The Academy and Instruments in the Attic (IiA) have worked with Changing Latitudes in previous years to provide instruments to students in both Haiti and Guatemala. Changing Latitudes aims to support communities in developing countries, including supporting scholarships for students’ education and capital improvements at schools.

As part of this year’s trip, the organization’s fifth straight trip to Guatemala, they will be delivering instruments to students across six schools throughout Guatemala. Most of the instruments will be donated to Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta de Educación Especial, located in Paztún, Guatemala. IiA provided Changing Latitudes with 73 instruments to deliver to these schools: 57 soprano recorders, seven flutes, and nine clarinets.

Written by Lucas Kremer
Edited by Regina Schneider

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Faculty News

Faculty Enrichment Fund Award: Youngbin Ko

George Mason string students and faculty at the asta conference

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The Academy values the importance of our teacher’s professional development. The Faculty Enrichment Fund annually provides partial and full reimbursement for teachers to attend conferences, workshops, and teacher training sessions. Academy Violin Jr. Instructor, Youngbin Ko, writes about her experience at the American String Teacher’s Association conference:

I am deeply grateful to Mason Community Arts Academy for supporting professional development opportunities for their teaching faculties. The Faculty Enrichment Fund Award allowed me to attend the American String Teachers Association and Suzuki Association of the Americas conference in San Francisco this February. As my first time attending the conference, it was a meaningful opportunity to connect with inspiring teachers and gain valuable insights from a variety of sessions. I also had the privilege of participating in a session titled “Getting to the Core of Bow Strokes,” presented by Professor June Huang and colleagues from George Mason University, which discussed effective ways to engage and develop the proper muscles for healthy practice.

Youngbin Ko (right)

Through this conference, I gained crucial perspectives on how I can build reliable relationships with both students and their parents as a teacher to support students’ musical and educational growth. I learned strategies for helping students approach practice as a form of deliberate play rather than a task, while fostering healthy musicianship through achievable goals, efficient learning activities, and celebrating their progress.

In technical sessions, I also learned more about the muscle movements involved in violin playing, particularly for holding the instrument and executing right-arm techniques such as string crossing. Participating in exercises during the sessions helped deepen my understanding of the instrument and the physical mechanism of my body while playing the violin.

Professor June Huang presenting at the conference.

Furthermore, through the concept of the one-point lesson, I gained ideas on how to focus on a single teaching objective within a lesson and structure teaching segments in a clear and accessible way to effectively deliver that point. This approach also helped me consider how to set specific goals that support students’ successful learning and understanding of that particular concept.

This experience allowed me to reflect on and refine my teaching philosophy and pedagogical strategies, helping me consider how to expand them moving forward. It reminded me that my role as a teacher goes beyond imparting musical knowledge and technique; it involves participating in a lifelong learning process where students learn within healthy, supportive connections and develop into well-rounded members of society.

I sincerely appreciate, once again, Mason Community Arts Academy for providing me with such invaluable experiences that allowed me to engage in meaningful learning and continue nurturing myself as a better educator.

Edited by Regina Schneider

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Instruments in the Attic

IiA Gifts 33 Instruments to Local Non-Profit

IiA staff and Culmore Center staff posing for photo

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Instruments in the Attic (IiA) recently provided instruments to the Culmore Teen Center, based in Falls Church, Virginia.

The Culmore Teen Center is partnered with Second Story, a local non-profit organization that “transforms the lives of local youth and families in need by providing safe havens and opportunities to grow and thrive through our residential and community-based programs…We help families in underserved communities in Fairfax County through our family resource centers, teen center, and after-school programs.”

IiA was able to provide a total of 33 instruments: six acoustic guitars, five trumpets, five trombones, five tenor saxophones, five electric basses, three upright basses, two keyboards, one electric guitar, and one drum set.

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Faculty News

Cello Teachers – We Need You!

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The Academy currently has an urgent need for a Cello Teacher (or two!) due to high student demand. We offer the following:

  • Competitive hourly pay (per lesson); paid bi-weekly
  • W–2 eligible employee of George Mason University
  • Flexible schedule (You set your weekly schedule within standard parameters.)
  • Clear student make-up policy that protects instructors’ time
  • Performance and networking opportunities
  • Support from the administration with an open door communication policy

Instructors are required to have a minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Cello Performance or Music Education and to provide a minimum of five hours of teaching availability per week during “Peak Hours.”

For more information visit our Job Opportunities page.