Summer 2019

     



One more teaching year completed with MusicLink students ready for the summer – enjoying final recitals, summer music camps, preparing for college, and being congratulated by all of us from the MusicLink Foundation for a job well done! This issue features our MusicLink seniors and reports on our camp scholarships and teacher reimbursements for the 2018-2019 year.


MusicLink Senior Award Winners


The MusicLink Foundation established the Senior Award of Excellence to recognize a graduating senior who has shown ongoing commitment in lessons and has made significant progress in musical studies, performing at an outstanding level. The $1,000 award is made possible through the Arline and Russell Bridge Endowment Fund. This year the MusicLink Foundation also presented a MusicLink Achievement Honors award of $500 for outstanding achievement in lessons, also made possible through the Arline and Russell Bridge Endowment Fund.


Ashley Ondoua
– MusicLink Senior Award of Excellence



Ashley Ondoua

Ashley Ondoua of Vienna, VA, began taking piano lessons at the age of three in Cameroon, showing early promise that led her to play in American and British embassies there. She and her mother left everything behind – her family, home, and financial security provided by her mother’s career as a doctor (not recognized in the US). Ashley found many opportunities in the US, including studying piano with Nancy Breth (VA-DC) and voice with Peggy McNulty. A generous donor impressed by Ashley’s talent, provided the loan of a Steinway piano through her high school years.


Ashley was active in many competitions in the DC area and attended music camps thanks to MusicLink camp scholarships. In 2017, she had the privilege of premiering a work by Alexander Peskanov in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She plans to attend Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.


"My adolescence and my future have been enriched by my two homes. My music achievement stands as a witness of my engagement, willingness and ability to work hard and consistently. I am looking forward to using my Cameroonian roots, American growth, African story and perception to contribute in creating wonderful music with other students and faculty at Lawrence University."


Eaaron Pye
- MusicLink Achievement Honors


Eaaron Pye of Abilene, TX, began piano lessons at the age of four with Sherry Frush. Born with perfect pitch, Eaaron relays the story of losing his hearing from an ear infection at three years old. After surgery, hearing returned but it reminds him of the importance of music in his life – making him what he is today. His remarkable ear helped him in composing throughout his musical years in school. He began the trumpet in junior high and enjoys performing with friends in the school band. MusicLink provided funding for him to attend music camps where he performed in ensembles and learned theory.


"Music has given me friends and rich experiences both in school and in private study. I’ve been able to compete, perform in concerts, play in advanced groups, attend state conventions and perform at the local, regional and state levels. After I graduate, I would like to write musical scores for movies and other media."


Elliot Fobbe
- Ruth Stenson MusicLink Award



Elliot Fobbe with Helen Marie Plourde and Sue Wege

Elliot began lessons in the 5th grade and became a MusicLink student in high school. His teacher, Helen Marie Plourde, describes him as an enthusiastic learner who arrived at lessons on time, prepared and eager to study all aspects of music. He accompanied many elementary & high school programs, was a member of his chorus and participated in school musicals. At age 12, he played Oliver in the Cretin-Derham Hall Community Theatre production of "Oliver".


Elliot completed 6 levels of theory and 9 levels of piano exams through the Minnesota Music Teachers Association Syllabus Program and performed 4 times in the MusicLink Playathon at the Mall of America. In the summer of 2018, the MusicLink Foundation helped Elliot attend a 6 week summer school program at NYU.


Elliot will attend UW-Madison in the fall majoring in Chemical Engineering. He plans to continue his interest in music with elective music courses and seeking out opportunities to accompany other musicians.


"I do not play the piano for the glory or to outshine others. I play because classical music is deeply rooted within me."


Ketura Bremseth
– MusicLink Achievement Award



Ketura Bremseth with Kathleen Van Doreen and Sue Wege

Ketura Bremseth, student of Kathleen Van Doeren, has been a MusicLink student for 4 years during which time she has passed levels 1-4 in theory exams and 1-5 in piano exams through the Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Syllabus program. She was chosen to perform in the MMTA Honors Concert 8 times and performed at Minneapolis Music Teacher Forums and National Guild Auditions.


Ketura is one of 6 siblings all of who began playing the piano around the age of 4. She plans to attend college in the fall and is considering a minor in music. Ketura recognizes how beneficial piano lessons have been for her and states, "Not only has learning piano brought much joy into my life, it has taught me many valuable life skills. It is much more than an activity to me; it is part of who I am."


Congratulations to
MusicLink Graduating Seniors


IL: Marisa Guidone, of Chicago, is a student of Marcia Mally. She will be attending Hope College this fall.

MN: Kirsten Brown, of Rosemount, has taken piano lessons for thirteen years. Her teacher, Kirsten Levorson, has been a major positive influence in her life, supporting her as she pursues her interest in music. Now Kirsten loves discovering new songs to play as well as composing her own. She also enjoys art and creative writing, and her compositions are often inspired by the fictional characters or events she writes about. She took several PSEO courses this past year, is deciding which areas she wants to focus her future learning on, and hopes to share her love of music and the skills she's learned by teaching piano lessons in the future.

MN: Megan Brown, of St Paul, has studied violin with Beverly Olson through MusicLink for four years.

MN: Sky Ochoa Jordan, of St. Louis Park, has been a cello student of Mary Jo Leier for nine years through MusicLink. She will be attending the University of Minnesota at Morris where she plans to play the cello in the orchestra there.

MN: Anna Kate Murphy, student of Ann-Marie Graffunder, will be attending Northwestern University and majoring in Elementary Education.

MN: Marsha Waiganjo, of St. Paul, graduated from Hope Christian Academy in the class of 2019. She has been studying piano with Mary Hale for three years. Marsha received a $75,000 a year scholarship to the University of Chicago and her score was in the top 1% in the country on the ACT.

NC: William Brickhouse, of Elizabeth City, has been studying voice with Cathy Pescevish Kreplin since February 2018.He is a graduate of Camden County High school in northeastern North Carolina. Following a year filled with exciting and successful performance experiences, singer/dancer William is off to UNCSA –University of North Carolina School of the Arts on scholarship. There he will major in vocal performance. We wish this outstanding young man the very best.

NC: Cassidy Dietz, of Kill Devil Hills, was a flute student of Cathy Kreplin Pescevich for 1.5 years.

TX: Abigail Griffith, of Abilene, student of Sherry Frush, graduated with honors and received scholarships. Abigail will attend University of North Texas and major in Speech Language Pathology/Audiology.

TX: James Melson, of Abilene, student of Sherry Frush, graduated with honors & received scholarships. James will attend A&M and major in engineering.

WA: Ashley Jensen, of Veradale, was a piano student of Joyce Hawkins for 3.5 years.

WA: Jonathan Pancoast, of Kettle Falls, has been studying piano through MusicLink for six years. His mother, Brandy Pancoast, is also his music teacher! Jonathan plans to join the U.S. Army.

WI: Alexis Walters, student of Sandra Statz, said, "I started taking piano lessons in 2008 and began taking flute lessons in 2011. Along my musical journey, I have also learned to play Alto Saxophone, Ukulele, and Piccolo. I participated in band throughout middle and high school, including marching band. In high school, I played flute in the orchestra wind ensemble and concert band, piano in jazz 1, and senior year I was a drum major as well. Throughout my music career, I have also participated in many music competitions and the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony. I plan to play in band and continue taking private lessons as I begin college at University of Minnesota, Duluth."


      

MusicLink Teacher Laureate
– Sherry Frush


Sherry Frush (TX) was recognized as a MusicLink Teacher Laureate, serving the program for 20 years, by her friends and colleagues of the Abilene Music Association. "I was greatly surprised by the presentation of this award on June 17 at the Abilene Music Teachers Association Showcase Concert. It was just an incredible experience as most of my participants and attendees were connected with my studio and the most current MusicLink Honors Award recipient was in one of the ensembles.


"I cannot thank you enough for all you have done and then to be honored by you is very humbling. It was such a surprise and honor to be recognized by MusicLink because your foundation has touched so many lives. Thank you is not adequate, but there are no other words. This award will be proudly displayed with great appreciation in the studio."


Great Nonprofits


The MusicLink Foundation has the distinction of being one of the top-rated non-profits on the greatnonprofits.org website for the past two years. We encourage you to add a review to the website by October 31st so we can retain our top-rated badge for 2019. We need 10 positive reviews (4+ or above) by that deadline to receive the honor. Many thanks!


MusicLink and Mosaic
– Bringing Music to the Community



Brad Prentice and Joanne Haroutounian
with MusicLink teachers and their students

 

Video: Chelsea Rios

Jordan Kitt’s Music of Fairfax and the Mosaic Shopping District paired their resources to bring music to the community with students from local MusicLink studios performing on a digital Yamaha grand piano in the fresh air of the district (with wind included!). Our thanks to Brad Prentice and Meg McGarry for bringing this unique performance opportunity to Northern Virginia teachers and their students. MusicLink and regular student performers were from the studios of Cora Lee Khambatta, Andrew Horowitz, Aphrodite Mitsopoulou, Irene Light, and Nam Hee Won. Joanne Haroutounian and William Haroutounian oversaw the event.


MusicLink Sends Students to Camp!


Each year students who have taken at least 6 months of lessons through MusicLink can apply for camp scholarship of up to $250 to a camp of their choice. This summer, the organization helped send 50 students to camps in CO, GA, NC, OR, SC, TX VA, and WI. The total scholarship to these students was $6,220.





Students enjoy musical games and keyboard
exploration at Grace Music Academy (GA)

Kurzen Camp Scholarship


This year the MusicLink Foundation initiated the Dorothy B. and Mel Kurzen Camp Scholarship of $1000 to a student seeking a camp whose fees extend above our $250 limit. The scholarship is sponsored by the Kurzen Endowment Fund. This year a brother and sister received the scholarship ($500 each), with both attending the PDX Orchestra Academy in piano and violin. Congratulations to Jesse and Leah Nieman of Portland, OR, who are students of Pauline Eidemiller.


Proud Teachers and Proud Students


We love getting photos and videos of students from across the country who are enjoying MusicLink lessons and opportunities. We share a few with you in this issue.



Natalie Christensen (CO) with her mother and
her teacher, Patty Mack thanks us for the camp
scholarship to attend the Junior Piano Academy
at Fort Lewis College in Durango.


Emily Fong (CA) with teacher, Maureen
Spranza proudly displays her ribbon for
performance at the CAT convention.

Alex Dalexis (MA) performs in his first recital after six months of lessons with Rita Rotondo:


Video: Alex Dalexis

Teacher Reimbursement Program


The MusicLink Foundation provides reimbursement to teachers for any event fees or music they personally purchased for their MusicLink students. Applications are available on the website for all active MusicLink teachers. Reimbursements are distributed in January and in June. June teacher reimbursements totaled $1,793.70 to 19 teachers representing AR, CA, FL, IA, IL, MN, NC, ND, NE, OK, OR, VT, and WA.


New Teachers


We welcome 10 new teachers who joined MusicLink in the past two months. Total active MusicLink teachers: 287. Total overall MusicLink teachers: 2,963


BC: Delores Scott; GA: Lois Simon; IL Carolyn Catalano; MN: Rachel Malone, Mary Saviano; NH: Ellen Schwindt; NM: Sally Melodia; SC: Lee Ann Alexander; TX: Joseph Popke VA: Ed Kapusciarz


New Business Offer


We welcome the Rotary Woodwind Fingering Charts and Training Aids - dxdt Music Products as a partner – offering 100 free products to MusicLink teachers and students. Contact Chris Hekimian at chris@dxdtmusicproducts.com.


Seeking Student Nominations


Did you know that we have over 1,000 teachers who have volunteered to teach a MusicLink student, but have never been linked with one? 1,000 more students could be in lessons if we had the nominations. We, unfortunately, don't have the manpower to seek out students for all these teachers, so we need your help! We know that you support our work or you wouldn't be reading this newsletter. Help us in our mission to "create musicians one student at a time".

  • If you are a volunteer teacher and would be willing to seek out a student, we have a School Packet available which helps you do that. Click HERE to download one.
  • If you are a parent and you have some good ideas on how best we can reach deserving students, click HERE and let us know them.
  • If you would like to become a MusicLink Ambassador and bring information about MusicLink to schools, youth groups, community organizations, etc, click HERE to volunteer.
  • If you would like to serve as a local or state MusicLink coordinator, training is provided. click HERE to get more information.
  • If you are aware of a student who shows musical potential, but whose family could never afford full-fee lessons, click HERE to nominate the student.

In Memoriam - Larry Baldwin 1964 - 2019



Larry Baldwin and Students

Larry Baldwin’s passion in life was teaching his love of music through voice and piano to many students that came to not only love music, but the man who was teaching them as well. He was active in the Lawton Music Teachers Association as well as music organizations at state and national levels. Larry became a MusicLink teacher in 2001, realizing the importance of providing voice lessons to disadvantaged students. He was recognized as Teacher of the Month on our website in December, 2014. To say that Larry loved music and teaching would be an understatement. We shall miss him and his devotion to helping others.



Did You Know?

  • In the 2018-19 fiscal year, the MusicLink Foundation distributed $5,549 worth of donated instruments to MusicLink students. An instrument request form is available on the website.
  • MusicLink teachers can share their experiences on our MusicLink Facebook page – include photos and videos of what your students are doing!
  • Do you have a student that would be a good candidate to feature in a Student Spotlight on our homepage? We would love to know about former students for our Alumni Spotlights as well. Contact Andrea Shore at Andrea@musiclinkfoundation.org with your nominations or questions.