We enter a new decade with continued progress for the MusicLink Foundation. New teachers eagerly sign up on our volunteer list to help reach low-income students seeking lessons. Our thanks to all of these teachers, totaling 1,482 nationally, who are seeking to link with new students. We know there are additional teachers who are already teaching students at a discount of 50% or more who have not yet signed them up through MusicLink. As we approach our goal of 7500 students (only 59 to go), we ask teachers, who are indeed MusicLink teachers, but not officially, to sign up on our website so we can help provide discounts on materials and free music plus other incentives from our business partners to thank you for reaching out to these deserving students. We will recognize the local music teacher association that signs up the most new links since Jan. 1, 2020 and the teacher that puts us over the top in a future eLink.

This issue applauds those who have been teaching through MusicLink and their recognition at different levels of our Hall of Fame, including the Laureate level for 20 years of teaching through MusicLink. We also include active fundraising events over the holiday season as well as announcing a new MusicLink Alumni Group to communicate current activities of these young adults through Facebook.

Fundraising Events for MusicLink

OR: Oregon MusicLink hosted a benefit recital on October 20th, 2019. The Latin-American music on the program, beautifully played by cellist Adam Eason and pianist Dianne Davies, was enjoyed by all in attendance and provided a lovely break from a rainy Sunday in Portland. The audience donated generously, raising over $1400, with proceeds going towards funding MusicLink students in Oregon.

Clavinova Students

IL: A Clavinova Festival was held on December 8, 2019 at Lacefield Music in South County, St Louis, Missouri. The event featured performances by 38 students from four participating teachers from Illinois: LeAnn Halvorson of Columbia, Pam Masching of Millstadt, Gillian Cerbin of Belleville, and Deborah Meier of Collinsville, along with students from Lacefield Music.

A big thank you to Yamaha and Lacefield Music for sponsoring and helping organize this successful event! We thank Cathy McReynolds, owner of Lacefield Music for holding this event and collaborating with MusicLink through Gateway Arch East Music Teachers Association and Illinois MusicLink Coordinator, Deborah Meier. It is a fun event that keeps kids interested in piano and working hard.

A total of $690 was collected from pledges to benefit MusicLink students in Illinois. Gwen Wright, a MusicLink student of Deborah Meier, raised $305 for the MusicLink Foundation. A fifth grader, Gwen has taken piano lessons for 2 ½ years and also plays the violin and clarinet.

Teacher Reimbursements
and Grass Roots Grants

January 15th was the application deadline for both Teacher Reimbursements and Grass Roots Grants. The MusicLink Foundation reimbursed 11 teachers from 10 states a total of $596.71 for music and event fees. The foundation awarded five Grass Roots Grants totaling $1700 to assist new MusicLink programs or expansion of existing programs in MN, GA, NY, and ME. Some of the recipients of last year's Grass Roots programs share what these grants meant to them:

Students from Ezekiel Ministries

SC: Lee Ann Alexander: Since retiring, I decided that I wanted to give back to students in the Lexington area. I wanted to find a place where I could give private piano instruction to children who normally would never be able to afford such a luxury. I began to keep my ear open for opportunities to present themselves and quickly heard about a local ministry for children called The Ezekiel Ministry.

Ezekiel Ministries exists to share the love and truth of Jesus to families in inner-city Columbia and Lexington. This is done by providing tangible help in the areas of education and family literacy. Ezekiel's two main programs are an after-school program and a mentoring program for under-resourced children in downtown Columbia and Lexington. The long-term goals are to strengthen the family structure and help families break the cycle of generational poverty through focusing on academics, character development, spiritual wellness, enrichment activities and teamwork.

My part to play is providing the enrichment activity of learning to play the piano! Each week I go to the center and work with 3 students for 30 minutes, one on one. I have secured an electric keyboard that is housed there at the Ezekiel Center.

As a member of MusicLink, I learned about the Grass Roots Grant. My goal was to purchase several portable keyboards that the students could use in their homes. Currently, the students do not have instruments in their homes and the opportunity for practice is very limited. They are allowed to practice on the keyboard there at the center but without someone there to encourage and motivate them, they seldom get practice in.

I was so excited to be awarded a Grass Roots Grant of $300. The students received their keyboards a few weeks ago and I look forward to watching the progress that they will make. I would like to thank Music Link for the wonderful opportunities that are there to nurture and support music instruction.

Music Terrace Students

MN: Rachel Lonetti: Thank you so much for your support of the new group piano program I started at The Music Terrace last spring. I have one MusicLink student currently enrolled in the group program. It has been such a joy to see students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds connect through music.

Music Terrace Keyboard

I utilized the funds received from the Grass Roots Grant in July to purchase a new Casio weighted keyboard. The touch of the keyboard was a major improvement from the previous 69-key keyboard I had used for group classes. I have since purchased another Casio keyboard from my own funds, meaning I now have three 88-weighted keyboards in my group studio.

I hope to continue enrolling more MusicLink students in my studio's group lesson program. Thank you again for your continued support in making music enrichment accessible to all!

Student Achievements

	TX: Bryan and Paris Millan, MusicLink students of Corine García Maldonado in Río Grande City, Texas, are enjoying their second year of piano lessons. They participated in the TMTA theory testing program and were awarded medals for their outstanding performances at the Magic Valley Music Teachers Association Piano Festival this past November.

In-Kind Donations Assist Students

The MusicLink Foundation received over $13,350 of in-kind donations of instruments and music this past year, which were distributed to MusicLink students across the country. Mercedes MacDonald was thrilled to receive a ¾ violin to continue her studies with a quality instrument from the MusicLink Foundation. People can donate instruments to the MusicLink Foundation through FundMusicLink.com. They fill out a form and send photos that are distributed to MusicLink teachers in the vicinity of the donation.

Calling All Alumni!

The MusicLink Foundation has a history of 28 years of linking deserving students with teachers and simply seeing how they progress in lessons through their school years. We have researched past MusicLink students through interviews, discovering the impact music lessons played in their lives: Musiclink Research Article. It is time to encourage our MusicLink Alumni to communicate through Facebook and develop a way to give back through the establishment of a MusicLink Alumni Scholarship fund.

Alumnus David Kim has agreed to serve as chair of our Alumni Group and will help coordinate communication with almost 1,300 alumni through the MusicLink Alumni Facebook page. If you are an alumni reading this newsletter, please contact him and share ideas and stories that would interest other MusicLink alumni: MusicLinkAlumni@gmail.com.

MusicLink Hall of Fame

The MusicLink Foundation recognizes the dedication and generosity of teachers who reach out to deserving students and share their love of music for many years through ongoing lessons. These teachers represent the finest examples of caring music teachers who truly make a difference in the lives of MusicLink students.

Teacher Laureate
20 Years

Diane Perett of Arlington, Virginia, is one of only a few teachers who have reached twenty years of teaching with MusicLink. She said, "I was thrilled to be one of the pilot teachers when MusicLink was launched in Northern Virginia. Although I had grown up in a middle class family with the advantages of excellent private instruction and even music camp in the summers, I had also been aware of the ways my public school vocal music teacher in our central Kansas town made sure the musically gifted students without means could still thrive and I wanted to follow her example.

"My first MusicLink student was a fifth grade beginning piano student, daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, who loved music and worked very hard to "catch up" with other students her age in my studio who had been studying with me much longer. She was a joy at both weekly private and monthly team lessons. Soon, excited by our experiences teaching with MusicLink, my colleague Martha Smith and I co-wrote an article for The American Music Teacher to encourage other teachers to get involved with the program.

"Since that time, except for the years I was living overseas due to my husband's career, I have always been teaching at least one MusicLink student. Not only has it been rewarding to see their skills and love of music grow, but it has been illuminating for me to learn about their cultures.

"I am thankful that Joanne had the vision and organization and trust to make MusicLink a continually resounding success."

Teacher of Distinction with Honors
15-19 Years

Teachers who have taught 15+ years through MusicLink are recognized as MusicLink Teachers of Distinction with Honors. We recognize and thank the following five teachers, who have devoted all of these years to help MusicLink students thrive through musical training.

Solveig Englund, AZ: Soveig is a piano teacher and MusicLink local coordinator in Gilbert, Arizona. She said, "Growing up in a musical family, making music has always been a part of my life. Teaching and performing music helped pay my way to go to college." A pianist, organist, and accompanist, Solveig attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, and graduated with a B.S. in music therapy and a B.A. in music education. "To be able to pass the love of music on to others is truly a rewarding career. MusicLink allows all students to participate and carry this life-long skill with them, hopefully passing it on to others as well."

Sister Dominica Gerszewski is a piano teacher with her studio at Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Crookston, MN. She belongs to the Crookston Benedictines. Sister Dominica says she first became involved in the program when a few other Sisters who were teaching MusicLink students were unable to accommodate more students. Sister Dominica stepped in, and ever since then she has had several MusicLink students in her studio. "I enjoy teaching students, especially if they practice and do their best," she says. "What has been the most memorable moment - when in getting ready for a recital or competition, the student feels good about themselves that she or he can play a piece well and have it for memory."

Michelle Gordon, MA: Michelle Gordon is an Independent Piano Teacher living in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. She has been teaching piano for 30 years, and is a Permanent Professional Certified Teacher of Music in Piano, through the Music Teacher's National Association (MTNA). She was elected the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association (MMTA) "Teacher of the Year" for 1999, and was President of the MMTA from 1999-2003. She has presented many workshops on piano teaching and technology at both the MTNA Conferences and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). She has also written articles for "Keyboard Companion" (now "Clavier Companion"), and "American Music Teacher". Michelle is the Director of Music at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, playing the organ, as well as conducting the Sunday Choir, Children's Choir, and Bell Choir. She is also the Accompanist of the Sippican Choral Society. MusicLink has been a part of her studio since she first heard Joanne Haroutounian present the concept to the Music Teacher's National Association at a Conference. Michelle accepted her first MusicLink student in December 2000, and in addition to teaching, she currently serves as a local coordinator for MusicLink. Michelle said, "I have always believed in what this program stood for, and I am proud to be a part of it."

Ruth Richard, Oregon: "I have enjoyed teaching piano in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oregon," Ruth said. "Through the years, there have been students who are interested in piano, yet the parents are not able to provide all the financial support that lessons and performances require. When we moved to Oregon, I learned about the MusicLink program and started offering it to students who came to me with a desire, but without the resources. MusicLink provided them with the extra resources to be able to enjoy the benefits of a well-rounded piano education, helping out with much, if not all, of their books and entrance fees for OMTA syllabus and Festivals, as well as for Federated Music Clubs. It's amazing all the different organizations that MusicLink has brought together to help these students," she said. "It's been a delight to see these students participate in the events and to blossom and develop a love for and an understanding of music. In return, they generously share their gifts and talents in the schools, their churches, and various other places in the community."

"My thanks to all of you that make MusicLink a possibility," Ruth said.

Tamara Slobodkin, NY, Tamara is a piano teacher and local coordinator in Long Island, New York. When asked about her start with MusicLink, she told this lovely story. "Some eighteen years ago I was giving lesson to the eldest three sisters of a family of five youngsters, all of whom were quite talented. Seeing their need I offered the family a reduction of my hourly fee which they accepted. When it was time to start the two younger children (one of whom, Joshua, showed remarkable talent even at the age of six) their father came to me and said that unfortunately ALL the children would have to stop lessons because they could not afford to pay even the reduced fees for five children and they would not favor this youngest child over any of the older. MusicLink saved the situation. While the family would not accept charity on my part, I could convince them that being part of the MusicLink program was different and the perfect solution. While my colleagues still remember the pleasure that all these youngsters gave us at recitals, it was Josh, the youngest, who made an indelible mark on all who heard him. Josh went on to gain a full scholarship to MIT with a minor in Piano Performance with all tuition waived. MusicLink was the catapult for his success. Since then I have been able to give many students this wonderful lift into the world of music which would not have been possible otherwise. MusicLink made the difference between their accepting personal charity and receiving organizational support. I currently have three MusicLink students in my studio, two of whom are going on to music schools, one in performance and the other into music therapy. I am so happy and proud to have been a part of this extraordinary organization since its inception and look forward to seeing my current MusicLink students develop and grow."

Teachers of Distinction
10-14 Years

MusicLink Teachers of Distinction are those that are actively teaching now and have taught through MusicLink for 10 to 14 years. We recognize the service of the teachers in this category and show the total number of students taught.

Diane Alveshere MN - 13 students	Phyllis Calderon IL - 31 students
Maria Grant MN - 3 students	Tarra Guerra FL - 33 students
Mary Hale MN - 10 students	Nora Martin GA - 66 students
Deborah Ruth SC - 7 students	Katie Schelp OK - 8 students

Hall of Fame
5-9 Years

Teachers reach the MusicLink Hall of Fame when they have taught for five to nine years. We are honored to recognize 18 teachers for reaching this category - with our thanks for their dedication to teaching deserving students through MusicLink.

New MusicLink Teachers

The following 23 teachers became active MusicLink teachers in the past two months: AL: Christopher Rice; CA: Susan Culbertson,Connie Tyler (returning); CO: David Burrows: CT: Elizabeth Bodek; DE: April Benson; MA: Heather Forbes, Ling Guo; ME: Malena Rachelle; MN: Tara Colegrove, Cecile Crozat-Zawisza, Jenna Gullickson, Jo Ellen Kloehn, Rebecca Nelson; MO: Jan Scott; NC: Barbara Balogh; NE: Tarah Schoell; NM: Suzi Judd; NV: Terri Miller; NY: Angelina Mafi, Michael Rhoa: WA: Sandra Layman, Kaye Lubach.

New MusicLink Business Partners

Bigel Music—Tampa, FL