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October 2011: Challenge 5000
set by MusicLink Foundation
The MusicLink Foundation announced today that it is setting a goal
of reaching 5,000 students nationwide by the end of 2012 to acknowledge
the 20th anniversary of the MusicLink program. The foundation currently
has active programs in 37 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Over 1,700
teachers have provided 300,000 hours of instruction to students
in financial need, equivalent to $7.2 million in-kind donation since
the inception of the program. The student count total as of October
1st is 4,600 and growing every day.
Marianne Yuan, our 4,500th student, was linked with Sherry Frush
(TX), who is a MusicLink Teacher of Distinction, having taught over
75 MusicLink students over the past 13 years. Sherry personifies the
dedication of our MusicLink teachers, who provide ongoing musical
training for years to students who cannot afford lessons.
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October 2011: Students Play & Practice
to Raise Funds for MusicLink
The 2010-11 year saw a growth in Playathon events to support our
students, with a grand total of $23,540 in contributions to the MusicLink
Foundation. The Minnesota MTA and Schmitt Music sponsored an
event at the Mall of America
raising $10,575. Three events were held in Virginia - One sponsored
by the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association and Steinway Gallery,
raising $2,000, a holiday mall recital by students of the Fairfax,
Louden Music Association raising $845, and an in-home Playathon held
by Bill and Brigid Brakefield of Arlington VA, which raised $10,030.
Our thanks to everyone who participated in these events - we know
it is a win-win situation, and lots of fun!
Teachers and college student organizations used our unique "practicing"
event - Promise to Practice - with pledges per hour raising funds
for MusicLink. Any teacher can inspire students to practice to prepare
for that upcoming festival or recital through this event. Our thanks
to the Western Illinois student MTA chapter who pledged to do the
event each year prior to the holiday break - with one week of practice
making a difference to our kids.
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September 2011: MusicLink Camp Scholarships
The MusicLink Foundation provides the opportunity for students
to attend the music camp of their choice through our camp scholarship
program. This year we sent 21 students to camps across the country
with scholarships totaling $4,560. Students attended local summer
programs in Minneapolis MN and DeRidder LA as well as the following
summer programs: MN: Un. of MN Bravo String and Keyboard Institute;
WI: UW Madison Summer Music Clinic; GA & OR: Atlanta Suzuki Institute
and Oregon Suzuki Institute; IA: Preucil School of Music Chamber Music
Camp; NJ: Westminster Choir College Vocal Institute; SD: South Dakota
State University All State Music Camp.
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September 2011: Teacher Reimbursement
& Grass Roots Grants
The MusicLink Foundation provides reimbursement to teachers for
student music and event fees. This year, 18 teachers from 13 different
states asked for help, totaling $1,660 in reimbursement grants.
Our Grass Roots grant programs assist new MusicLink programs or
projects. This year the foundation provided $3,500 to the following
organizations to promote state and local programs: MN: Minnesota Music
Teachers Association - MusicLink Program; GA: Sage School; NY: Music
School at Dutchess Community College - MusicLink Program; GA: Grace
Piano Academy; MN: Franklin Music Magnet MusicLink Program; DC: Washington
DC MusicLink Program; FL: Suzuki Strings of Southern Florida.
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September 2011: Instruments
& Music for MusicLink Students
We received over $19,578 in-kind donations of instruments and music in the 2010-11
school year, not including over $25,000 in discounted and free music distributed
directly to MusicLink teachers through our Business Partner discount program.
We thank the many people who donated instruments to local programs and special
thanks to Hal Leonard Publishers for providing over $4,600 worth of new sheet music
for our students.
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September 2011: New MusicLink Business Partners
MusicLink relies heavily on business support at the community level.
We welcome the following new business partners to our roster this
year: CA: Guitar Center, Inc., Westlake Village; New Songs School
of Music, Sacramento. FL: Creative Keys, Inc., Dunedin. NH: Handmademusic,
Inc., Manchester; Bywater Piano Service, Lebanon. NJ: Ed Sueta Music
Publications, Inc., Rockaway. RI: Rizzotti Studio of Music, Providence.
VT: Frederick Johnson Pianos, Inc., White River Junction; Advance
Music Center/Musicraft, Burlington & Waitsfield; GuitarSam, Montpelier,
Vermont Violins, Montpelier.
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October 2010: MusicLink Foundation
Recognized by Foundations
We are pleased to have a renewed presence on the Catalogue for
Philanthropy website for 2010-11. The catalogue recognizes outstanding
non-profit organizations in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The
City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts has provided a grant for $1,250
to provide support for the MusicLink northern Virginia program,
which includes lessons by MusicLink teachers, performances, instruments,
and music.
The Louise Zanar P. Fund of the Community Foundation for
the National Capital Region will continue support of the DC MusicLink
program this year, with a grant of $4,000.
The Philip L. Graham Fund, associated with the Washington Post,
also recognizes the value of the MusicLink Foundation in the programming
that has reached 700 promising students in need in the Washington
DC metropolitan area. The fund has awarded the MusicLink Foundation
a grant in the amount of $10,000 for instruments and program costs
to help us reach our Challenge 5000 goal (reaching 1000 students in
the DC area is part of this goal).
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October 2010: Benefit Recital
at Belmont Mansion in Washington DC
The IBIS Chamber Music Society presented a Benefit Recital for
the MusicLink Foundation in October at the historic Belmont Mansion
in Washington DC. The recital was sponsored by the Admiral Richard
C. Byrd Masonic Foundation and Federal Lodge No. 1 FAAM and raised $3,000
for the MusicLink Foundation. The afternoon of beautiful music performed
by extraordinary musicians in a magnificent setting was enjoyed by
a sold-out crowd. Our thanks to Paul Dolinsky, who initiated and developed
this benefit recital as well as Lodge members who worked tirelessly
to create a true music-ballroom setting for the recital, complete
with champagne. The Masonic Foundation hopes to plan future annual
events to raise funds to bring music to the lives of our MusicLink
students.
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November 2010: Earth Wind and Fire
Guitar & Concert Auction
MusicLink recently used
Charitybuzz,
an online auction website
that works with top charities and celebrities, to auction an Earth,
Wind and Fire "celebrity experience". The package included an autographed
Earth, Wind and Fire guitar and concert tickets and backstage passes
to the band's concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The package
brought in over $1,000 to benefit MusicLink. As a result of this success,
MusicLink plans on using this website to auction other items in the future!
The Music Link Foundation raised $6,000 through an on-line auction of a
series of four guitars personally signed by Verdine White, Ralph Johnson
and Philip Bailey of the legendary R&B band, Earth, Wind and Fire.
The guitars, along with 40 guitars for MusicLink students, were donated
by the Gibson Foundation, and signed by EWF at a concert in Richmond
on November 14, 2006. Pictured is Verdine White with the four guitars
in Washington, DC and the first guitar sold at auction.
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May 2010: MusicLink Senior Awards of Excellence
The MusicLink Foundation annually provides a $1,000 Senior Award
of Excellence to a graduating MusicLink senior who has shown outstanding
progress through their years of musical training in the program. These
awards are sponsored by The Arline and Russell Bridge Endowment Fund.
Additional sponsors have contributed funds for $1000 awards to seniors
as well. The Marilyn Costello Award of Achievement was presented to
several Virginia MusicLink students (07-08) and the Harry Kirkpatrick
Achievement Award is an ongoing award for a Virginia MusicLink graduating
senior. The Minnesota MusicLink program has established the Ruth Stenson
Award, again honoring a graduating senior with an award of $1,000.
Shown is Sue Wege, Director of MusicLink Coordinators, Melissa Just,
Ruth Stenson award winner 2010, and Raeanna Gislason, Melissa's teacher.
For information on all student award winners, please see our
Profiles page.
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Music Celebrities Join MusicLink Advisory Board
The MusicLink Foundation welcomes Marvin Hamlisch, eminent composer
and conductor; André Watts, international concert pianist;
and Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire as new members to its advisory
board. We are thrilled to be recognized as one of only two charities
supported by Earth Wind and Fire, and thank Mr. Watts for agreeing
to sign autographs at an artist-photograph signing event in Virginia.
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In their own words:
"Bringing music into the lives of our children means bringing imagination,
enthusiasm, discipline and the joy of creation into their world. Expanding
personal vistas for the youth of today makes for a better world of
tomorrow. Music transcends fear and hate, and it is the most pleasurable
duty imaginable to bring this to our young people."
-- André Watts
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"Too often I have heard stories about children who display a musical
gift at an early age, but because of lack of funds in their family
they were unable to pursue that gift. So it is a wonderful thing to
know that MusicLink is an organization that comes to the rescue of
these talented kids."
-- Marvin Hamlisch
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"The MusicLink Foundation is a perfect forum for young people to
learn about music, to learn about performing, and most of all, to
learn about themselves. Without the arts, society can't grow and I
think the MusicLink Foundation is the perfect way for young people,
at the beginning of their training and the beginning of their adult
lives to learn about music and the arts and have a lot of fun."
--Verdine White
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Yamaha Clavinova Festivals Partner with MusicLink
The MusicLink Foundation has a partnership with Yamaha Clavinova
Festivals that provides ways to promote the program to many new teachers
as well as raise funds for MusicLink programs nationwide.
Students of teachers who have signed up for the festivals "promise
to practice" a certain number of hours for one week in the month prior
to the festival. They collect pledges from friends and family of so
many dollars per hour of practice. As a reward for achieving their
practice goal, MusicLink sends a "success" pin to each student. Students
who collect $25 or more in donations receive tote bags. Students who
raise $250 in donations receive an IPOD Shuffle or comparable prize.
Each teacher that takes part in Promise to Practice also gets a tote
bag.
Any music teacher or group can choose to take part in our Promise
to Practice fund raising event, regardless of participation in Yamaha
festivals. If you are interested in helping our kids with music, instruments,
and camp scholarships, email us and we will send a Promise to Practice
packet free of charge.
We look forward to sending pins, tote bags and shuffles to students
across the country!
If you are a music teacher or student, you can support the program
through our Promise to Practice program. It is a great way to encourage
solid weeks of practice towards a performance, recital or festival goal
and raise money for our kids as well. Students get "success" pins,
totebags (raising $25 or more) an IPOD shuffle (raising $250 or more).
Click on the link below to download our Promise to Practice packet:
Promise to Practice
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May 2009: CD and DVD Produced thanks to MTNA Grant
We thank the MTNA Foundation for providing a $5,000 grant to produce a new
promotional DVD called "Faces of MusicLink" and a double CD of student performances
titled "MusicLink Shining Stars - A Student Showcase." Joanne Haroutounian
personally presented our first copies of these wonderful media PR products
to Gary Ingle at the MTNA Conference in Atlanta in March. We thank Brian
Chung and the MTNA Foundation for their support of our efforts to showcase
the outstanding talents of our students and the array of profiles featured on
our DVD that reflect the many aspects of our program.
The following students are featured on our double MusicLink Shining Stars
CD: Vladislav and Yuri Boguinia (CO), Tram Bui (OR), Diana Fang (VA), Ik Hoon
Jung (OR), Kevin Lu (VA), Dasha Poroshina (OF), Araxi Sayadian (IL), Kai
Talim (OR), Alistair, Imala, and Nygel Witherspoon (MN). You can hear
excerpts of their performances on our Profiles page.
Faces of MusicLink can be seen on our website. It portrays the program through
the voices, faces, and music of our students, teachers, coordinators, and
parents - from MN, DC, OR, and Mexico. The DVD ($25) and CD ($15) are
available through website orders or emailing the national office.
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June 2008: Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Provides Support for MusicLink
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provided support for the MusicLink
Foundation in the amount of $283,000 over a four-year period (2004 -
2008). Grant funding provided training for MusicLink coordinators,
supported the MusicLink staff, and helped develop long-term planning
to expand operations to new areas of the country.
"We are thrilled to be able to expand our program through this
grant, and reach hundreds more promising students who crave music
lessons but cannot afford them. This funding will allow our networking
system to link with more volunteer teachers to provide ongoing instruction
to these students for as long as they wish to learn," said Dr. Joanne
Haroutounian.
The MusicLink Foundation is one of a handful of pipeline organizations
assisting the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation seek out eligible students
for several of their scholarship programs. Through its nationwide
network of teachers, students and business partners, MusicLink will
help "From the Top," a weekly radio program featuring the country's
top student musicians, identify talented young musicians whose financial
background qualify them for one of the program's 25 scholarships worth
$10,000. Qualified 7th grade students can apply for the Jack Kent
Cooke Foundation's Young Scholars Program, which offers thousands
of dollars of scholarship support over many years of secondary school
study.
For information about these applications:
www.jackkentcookefoundation.org
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June 2008: MusicLink Students Chosen as Cooke Foundation Young Scholars
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provides thousands of dollars in
scholarships to exceptionally talented students in financial need.
These awards are very competitive with only 40 students chosen each
year nationwide. We are proud of the MusicLink students
who received Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships.
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Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Recipients:
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provides thousands of dollars in scholarships to exceptionally talented students in financial need. These awards are very competitive with only 40 students chosen each year nationwide. We are proud of the following MusicLink students who received Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships:
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2006: OR: Andrea Johnson was a 16 year old pianist studying with Elizabeth Stern of Milwaukie Oregon when she received the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award in the amount of $10,000 and had the opportunity to perform on From the Top. Andrea attended Portland State University and will receive a Bachelor of Music degree in June 2010.
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2006: VA: 13 year old Kevin Lu of Newport News was chosen as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar, receiving ongoing support from 7th -12th grade to pursue his musical and academic studies. He was a student of Theresa Compos Falk of Yorktown. The award has provided Kevin ongoing financial support for academic and musical training.
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2007: CA: Stephanie Duong, 12 year old pianist and violinist from Riverside was chosen as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar. She was a piano student of Nancy Buck and violin student of Laura Balisky. MusicLink provided Stephanie and her sister violins to assist in their lessons. The award provided her with financial support for her musical training and secondary schooling Her sister, Emily, received the Young Scholar Award in 2007.
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2008: WA: Vanessa Woodard, a 12-year-old MusicLink student of Brandy Pancoast of Colville, Washington, is our second recipient of this year's Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar Award. In her own words: After weeks gathering and compiling information to complete the Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars application, the foundation scheduled a phone interview. "I was so nervous, I fumbled for answers and thought for sure I bombed the interview and any chance of being chosen." Months later, she received a
large large, stuffed envelope. "My mom opened the parcel and read the enclosed letter to me. My mom started screaming, 'You got the scholarship; you were chosen as a Young Scholar!' I couldn't believe I had actually been chosen out of all those applicants," Vanessa immediately e-mailed her friends and posted it on Facebook. She found herself wondering "...what opportunities were awaiting me?" Vanessa has studied piano with
Brandy Pancoast for 5 years. "I love the piano. I play whenever I get the chance; it is so relaxing and peaceful. There are so many, many, many pieces I am longing to learn. Brandy Pancoast said, "I am thrilled for Vanessa. She is the type of student who works extremely hard and you are excited when that effort is recognized and rewarded. This scholarship will open up many possibilities for her that would not have been possible without the extra financial help. This is a wonderful gift for her."
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June 2008: Memorial Funds
Provide Musical Legacies
A number of donors have chosen MusicLink Foundation as a way to create
a lasting tribute for a loved one through memorial funds that provide
scholarships for camp, music and materials for students, or specific
requests for use of funds. We acknowledge our appreciation for the
following memorial funds for MusicLink:
- Julia Haynes Memorial Fund in memory of a young five year old tragically killed in a car accident
- Judith Ferencz Scholarship Fund in memory of a devoted MusicLink teacher
- Russell and Arline Bridge Endowment Fund in memory of parents who loved music and education
- Sarah Guerrant Memorial Fund in memory of a dedicated piano teacher and loving parent
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2007: National Summit features Tim Page as Speaker |
The MusicLink Foundation held its second national summit June 29- July 1, 2007 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Thanks to a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, MusicLink regional coordinators, teachers and students from across the country convened to hear panel discussions, to receive training, develop strategic planning and share pointers on linking with schools, students and businesses to build the program in new states. The summit also featured Tim Page, music critic for the Washington Post as guest speaker.
MusicLink students gave a recital in the university’s Center for the Arts spotlighting the full range of student potential, from beginning to advanced levels. The program included piano solos and duets, plus violin and vocal performance. Performers included many local Virginia students as well as students traveling from Colorado, Minnesota, and Utah.
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2007: Student Overcomes Asperger's Syndrome |
As a sixth grader, Mike Brown, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, believed he would never learn to read music. Now 15 years old and a sophomore in high school, Mike is a Leonard Method Books Level 4 pianist who not only sightreads music but also sight sings as an “A” music student. Under the piano tutelage of Carole Lindell-Ross for four years, Mike has benefited from a dedicated partnership forged by his high school choral teacher, Liz Sera, and his junior high choir director, DeeAnn Sands.
Mike recently earned his first Gold Cup Trophy in piano theory at Festival, successfully auditioned as a tenor for the Lake Oswego High School a cappella choir for the fall and performed piano solos at Festival, retirement centers and 15 student recitals. He will solo with the LO Choir at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, during Memorial Day weekend in May for a choral workshop.
Mike said that the Leonard note speller series through MusicLink, along with the one-on-one attention of his piano teacher, helped him make such progress. He recalled that he was almost two years into piano lessons when he realized his capability to read basic piano notation independently had turned into reality. The joy of such achievement was reflected in Mike’s school work and his self-esteem, according to his mother, Becky Lukens.
Mike lives with his mother and grandmother, Georgianna Lukens, who contacted Carole for weekly lessons. She believed that Mike’s innate musicality could be reached through individual lessons. Mike’s untrained tenor voice reminded her of her own brothers’ voices, both of whom had excelled in vocal music. One was even a scholarship student as the lead tenor in the Yale Glee Choir in the 1960s.
Before he could read music, Mike used his voice to learn the music pitches during private piano lessons. He started with simple linear selections from Hal Leonard Publications as well as from the Federated Music lists. At the time, two fingers on his left hand suffered from nerve damage, but gradually, during four years of repeated pentascales and single-handed playing, Mike developed use of all his fingers. While playing chords with both hands still causes difficulty, Mike is able to play Diabelli & Turk.
I had never before taught autistic children nor had any special training in working with autism, but I learned how to instruct Mike during the course of two years when his mother would attend lessons with him. I believed in Mike’s ability to use his voice to unlock the music inside him. We both enjoy Mike’s good-humored personality and his can-do attitude, which kept us both motivated during the long process to read and write music. His ability to laugh at his mistakes and then to try again are lessons for all of us.
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2006: MusicLink Student Wins $10,000 Cooke Young Artist Scholarship |
Andrea Johnson, a 16 year old pianist from Milwaukie Oregon, was one of 25 students chosen nationwide to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award in the amount of $10,000 to further her musical talents. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation paired with the radio program, From the Top to to identify and nurture talented young musicians whose lack of financial resources might otherwise impede their progress. Recipients have the opportunity to perform on a live taping of From the Top and participate in Cultural Leadership Training to become community advocates for the arts through outreach activities. Andrea recently performed live at a taping in Dallas, Texas which was well received by the audience as well as the staff of From the Top. Personality plus!
Andrea has studied with Elizabeth Stern since the age of 10, and has been a consistent winner of competitions connected with the Oregon Music Teachers Association as well as first alternate at the national level Baldwin and Yamaha MTNA competitions. She has performed concertos with the Vancouver Symphony, Oregon Sinfonietta, and as a Young Artist at the Schnitz Concerto Concert. In 2005, Andrea took part in the Nordstrom Young Talent Program, performing in Nordstrom stores across the state of Oregon.
Andrea has been a MusicLink student for the past two years and received a camp scholarship to assist in attendance at the International Institute for Young Musicians at the University of Kansas in the summer of 2005. She also attended the Texas Music Festival High School Piano Instute for several summers.
Andrea is a twelfth grade home-schooled student and attends classes at New Covenant Christian Academy and Clackamas Community College. She is deeply involved in drama performances of Shakespeare plays when she is not busy teaching her 13 private piano students.
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Dr. Joanne Haroutounian, Executive Director
info@musiclinkfoundation.org
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