Lawrence Today magazine, Fall 2003
The Lawrence Academy of Music has been awarded a $28,000 arts education grant by the National Endowment for the Arts to support its growing jazz education programs for area youths.
The funds will support the summer Jazz Odyssey program — a five-day camp in July — as well as two new initiatives, an after-school jazz program and a Saturday-morning jazz component designed to enhance current school music experiences and provide new creative opportunities. Both programs are open to area students in grades 6-12 who are currently playing an instrument or singing. Led by a staff of three or more instructors, the two programs will feature specialized offerings in the history of jazz and its Afrocentric roots, jazz improvisation and composition, and small-group combo performance experiences.
Fred Snyder, director of the Academy of Music, is hoping to attract 25-40 students for both the after-school and Saturday morning programs, which he says will be designed to augment, rather than compete with, music programs currently offered in area schools.
“Jazz is extremely popular in this area, and we are very excited about the opportunities this difficult-to-come-by NEA grant will provide,” Snyder says.
“We’re confident these two new initiatives targeting area middle and high school jazzophiles will provide them with opportunities that currently are not available elsewhere in the Fox Valley. One of the reasons we applied for this grant was as a response to area school music educators who were asking us for this kind of assistance. We’re hoping these new jazz programs can help meet some of their needs.”
The Academy of Music was one of only four Wisconsin arts organizations awarded a grant by the NEA for 2003 in the organization’s arts education category.
Founded
in 1874 as a division of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music,
the Lawrence
Academy of Music provides personalized music instruction to community residents.
Originally established as the Preparatory Program, it became known as the
Lawrence Arts Academy
in 1990. Last summer, it changed its name to the Lawrence Academy of
Music to
better define its role as a music education provider.
