We have set a goal of raising $100,000 by the end of 2021. Thus far our donations total $ 55,547. Soon we will be sending out the Annual Report, sharing MusicLink's accomplishments during the 2020-21 fiscal year along with envelopes or links to our website for donations. We look forward to your support.

This issue features several MusicLink Regional Coordinators who serve as the chief "connectors" between teachers, local coordinators, and state coordinators. They work together with our National Director of Coordinators to determine student financial eligibility, locate a teacher for each nominated student, and answer questions from teachers and parents as needed.

MusicLink Senior Graduates

The summer issue of the eLINK featured our MusicLink graduating seniors. Here are several additional students we would like to recognize in this issue.

Heidi Schmidt (IA) started studying piano with Nancy Cree in January 2013. She loved playing and having the opportunity to pick out songs she liked for any of the recitals and concert pieces. She was always encouraged and supported by her piano teacher. Heidi finds sitting at the piano and playing through memorized, old music or church hymnal relaxing. She is really going to miss playing and doing duets with her sisters. Heidi will be attending University of Northern Iowa next year and hopes to find a piano on campus that she can play on.

Serena Jain (MN) was a MusicLink piano student of Charlotte Grantier She recently graduated from Eden Prairie High School and is attending the University of Minnesota studying biomedical engineering.

Meet our MusicLink
Regional Coordinators

The Link will feature several regional coordinators in upcoming issues to acquaint you with the people behind the emails and phone calls you may have had when communicating about MusicLink.

Nora Martin - Southeast Regional Coordinator

Nora Martin joined MusicLink as a piano teacher in 2009 and moved up to local coordinator in 2011 with the opening of a small music school. MusicLink was instrumental in helping to fund and supply the setup of the new program which started with 15 students. She now serves as the Southeast Regional Coordinator and lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She continues to teach several MusicLink students in her home studio after her small school closed during Covid, including one of the original students.

Nora enjoys meeting new teachers, facilitating instrument donations and benefits for area MusicLink students and teachers and working with the network of local coordinators across the region.

"I enjoy watching kids mature in personal confidence while their music skills grow and improve. Music benefits the mind, education and spirit of each child and to be a part of helping that happen for my students and others is challenging and fulfilling."

Nora also volunteers with her husband and son at a local cooperative ministry and enjoys gardening, traveling, and fishing whenever she is able.

Alana Colon - Mid Atlantic Regional Coordinator

Alana Colon is a twenty-two-year-old Afro-Latina senior at the University of Maryland studying graphic design. While growing up, her passion was always the arts, but more importantly, singing! She grew up taking lessons and training her voice, along with some instrumental background as well. As an adult, she doesn't sing anymore, though she is constantly creating art via drawing and painting. She has a love for musical theater and is constantly listening to the Hamilton album or In The Heights album. She is happy to connect students to teachers, allowing them to receive the gift of music that is so near and dear to her.

New MusicLink Teachers

We welcome the following 12 teachers who joined or returned to MusicLink over the past two months. This brings the total of active teachers to 245 with our overall total = 4,157.

MN: Leisa Bragg, Kris Olson (returning); MO: Hudson Lin; NY: Nichole Heid-Arce, Lorie Parmalee; SC: Rafe Goodman; TX: Katie Anderson; VA: Peggy Newhall (returning), Ronit Seter; WA: Colleen Freeman, Meg Mann; WI: Mollie Preston.