As we head into the 2020 – 2021 school year, everything seems complicated and challenging, but not to our MusicLink teachers and students! We are seeing many new teachers signing up to volunteer to teach through MusicLink, seeking ways to reach out to students during this trying pandemic. Our wonderful MusicLink teachers are using every trick in the book to keep lessons going, creating innovative ways to use the internet for lessons, recitals, and performances.

This issue will share some of these creative ideas developed by MusicLink teachers and students. We have received many donations of instruments and have had many successful placements into student homes. We are heading toward the holiday season when we rely on donations from our MusicLink supporters to sustain the lessons, music camp scholarships, and other MusicLink offerings for our teachers and students. We hope the stories in this eLINK will inspire readers to donate to the MusicLink Foundation to continue the work we are doing to "create musicians, one student at a time."

MusicLink Video Spotlights

We are so proud of all of our MusicLink students and their teachers that we decided to share performances by our students online through a series of MusicLink Video Spotlights. These spotlights of student performances of all levels will be periodically broadcast online to those who enjoy learning more about what MusicLink is all about.

Links to our first two spotlights are below: Ethan Hemmings, our MusicLink Achievement Honors Senior winner, performs several violin pieces. Violin and guitar classes of MusicLink teacher Tarra Guerra show an example of creative teaching and student performance in the time of a pandemic.

Video Spotlight: Ethan Hemmings


Video Spotlight: Tarra Guerra Studio

Make Your Own Music Video!
Online Camp

Amy Vanacore used the Grass Roots Grant awarded to her in June to develop an innovative online summer camp that gathered students to create their own group video of teen pop singer-songwriter Choral Luna's song "Open Sky." The song lyrics were written during quarantine and convey a message of courage, connection to nature, and hope for the future.

The online camp filled a social vacuum caused by the pandemic by bringing together teens and 'tweens to interact through music. Camp participants met the songwriter, learned the song, collaboratively wrote new lyrics for the first verse and outro, composed parts for the different instruments, and then recorded the song.

You might be wondering... How do you record a song as a band when you can't be in the same room as your bandmates? Well, it's challenging... but not impossible! Each student made a video recording of themselves playing their individual parts while listening to a digital metronome or click track in an earbud. A recent high school graduate with video editing experience put together the videos, syncing up the parts and integrating them into one group video that students could upload to their YouTube channels. Check out the video they created!

Online Camp Video

Making Connections Across the Globe
– Peggy Newhall (VA)

My ninety-year-old brain can hardly comprehend that I am teaching piano to students on the other side of the world! It feels amazing to me every week. When my friend told me that her grandchildren living In Macedonia needed a piano teacher, I said, "I’ll try it." I was already using Zoom for my other students so I thought maybe I could do it. I do not have a lot of fancy equipment. I use an iPad on a tripod and a small ring light. I teach them starting at 9 AM and in their country it is 3 PM. Other than the usual problems you have with online teaching, I have had a problem getting music to them. It is not easy for them to get mail. So I did the best I could with some older editions they had until the summer when their aunt went for a visit. I got the books I wanted to use with them and she took them in her suitcase. I am happy to help them with lessons especially since they listen and follow up with practicing. Although these students are not MusicLink students, I have had many MusicLink students who have become what I call my "Piano Grandchildren". They have become very close friends. It is one of those bonus things that come with teaching.

Since being shut in during Covid-19, I have had more time to enjoy my other hobby of painting rocks. My daughter challenged me to try to get one of my rocks in each of the 50 states. I thought it was kind of a useless challenge. I went through my address book and found some distant cousins and old friends in other states. I picked a few states to start. When I got the first letter in response, I realized that what was not silly was the heart-warming responses I got from the ones who received the rocks. It is the human connection that makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough cousins to cover all the states. I don’t have Utah, Vermont, Kansas, Arkansas, Ohio, or Missouri. I am still waiting for responses from some other states. Anyway, it is a relaxing hobby.

Great Nonprofits Reviews Needed
to Receive Award Certificate

The MusicLink Foundation prides itself on the many positive reviews it receives on the website, Great Nonprofits. We need 5 more positive reviews (4+ stars) on their website by October 31st to receive the 2020 Top-Rated Non Profit badge for our website. We hope you can take a few moments to add your comments to help us reach that goal. https://greatnonprofits.org/org/musiclink-foundation

Facebook Donations

The MusicLink Foundation has now added the process of direct donations to our organization through Facebook. Many people click on Facebook donations in connection with celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, or simply a group interest in supporting our organization. We continue to accept donations through our website and Network For Good as well.

New Deadlines
for Teacher Reimbursement
and Grass Roots Grants

Realizing the importance of meeting the needs of our MusicLink teachers, the foundation has added an additional deadline for the Teacher Reimbursement Program and Grass Roots Grants. Teachers can send in applications with receipts for reimbursement up to $150 by November 15th, February 15th, and June 15th. Grass Roots Grants, which provide up to $300 in support for new Musiclink programs or projects, will also have the same three deadlines.

Background Check Updates Needed

A big thank you to all MusicLink teachers who have responded to our request for an updated background check to ensure that we provide careful oversight of teacher legitimacy. Along with our careful attention to student financial eligibility MusicLink teachers and coordinators are required to have a basic criminal background check upon initial sign up. These background checks must be updated every five years, so our Assistant Director, Andrea Shore, is reaching out to those of you who need a new background check. She will need a current physical address (not a PO Box), your date of birth and your social security number. Once the background check has been completed, we do not keep any of this information on file. Your timely cooperation with this important requirement is extremely helpful.

Teacher/Coordinator Spotlight
– Peggy Newhall

From MusicLink Executive Director, Joanne Haroutounian: I have personally known Peggy Newhall for over 20 years, as a colleague and as her teacher, guiding her as she pursued MTNA certification at age 80. Peggy has been a MusicLink teacher and coordinator since 1999, teaching 10 MusicLink students through the years and achieving the MusicLink Hall of Fame Teacher of Distinction award in 2015 for her 15 years of service to the MusicLink Foundation. Many have seen her photo with her first MusicLink student on our banner at conventions.

Beyond her activities in MusicLink, Peggy is active in two local MTAs, regularly attends MTNA national conventions, and volunteers for MTA activities in her local organizations. She is part of a piano group that performs on a regular basis and recently organized a zoom gathering of the group. Peggy has produced several CDs combining classical and popular music that she gives to friends and relatives each year. She performs recitals at senior centers on a regular basis, programming music that appeals to each audience.

I have to admit that Peggy is, in a way, my role model because of the personal care she portrays to others and her endless energy and enthusiasm to learn more. As explained above, she has a hobby of painting rocks, imaginatively transforming a simple rock into an animal or, in one she gave to me that sits on my piano, a music store featuring a violin (my husband) and piano in the window. In the pandemic, she has been placing these rocks along the sidewalk that is used for daily walks by her neighbors so they can collect them as they enjoy the fresh air. Peggy has a "bucket list" wish to have one of her rocks in every state. She has already started this quest, and only needs the states of Utah, Vermont, Kansas, Arkansas or Ohio, or Missouri If you happen to live in one of these states, do get back to her (newhalls@verizon.net) if you would like to receive a personally painted rock by Peggy. Oh, did I happen to mention that this year Peggy celebrated her 90th birthday? Amazing woman.

Meet our Coordinators

Sue Wege is a Michigan native, who now lives in the Twin Cities where she teaches piano and serves as Director of Coordinators for the MusicLink Foundation. Sue joined the foundation as a teacher in 2000. A year later she became the Minnesota state coordinator and then regional coordinator. In 2011 Sue became the Director of Coordinators and enjoys training new coordinators and assisting teachers nationwide.

"One of the best parts of this job is meeting new teachers and coordinators--if only by phone or email. I love seeing the passion of teachers and volunteers in their outreach. Music teachers are some of the most generous and compassionate people on the planet and the MusicLink Foundation is the perfect vehicle through which they can share their gifts. I'm proud to be a part of its mission."

In her free time Sue enjoys reading, going to the lake, traveling and spending time with family--especially her new baby granddaughter.

New Teachers

The pandemic has encouraged new teachers to volunteer for MusicLink, with 21 new teachers signing up since our June eLink. Total active MusicLink teachers = 268. Total overall MusicLink teachers = 3,817.

AR: Kay Lindley; CA: Victoria Kessler, Sebastian Lee, Janet Olson, Denise Ondishko, (returning), Tamika Whitenack; FL: Richard Parker-Cruz, Lynnette Roberts, Rebecca Roberts, Jessica Schoenfeld; MD: Mai Dang; ME: Daniel Copeland, Hannah Parker; MN: Jacob Essig-Beatty; NC: Travis Owen; NV: Colette Stefaniak; NY: Robert Ferrara, Matthew Frederick; OH: Denise Carter; OR: Kellene Goff; SC: Marty Krencik.

MusicLink Senior Graduates

We featured our MusicLink senior graduates in the June issue of the eLINK. However, there are a number of graduates that we discovered when collecting the end of year student reports from our MusicLink teachers. We congratulate the following MusicLink senior graduates and their proud teachers:

Instrument Donations
Help MusicLink Students

The pandemic shutdown has encouraged people to clear out their attics and homes of things – with an impetus to donate instruments. We have received ongoing donations of instruments in the past few months. The instrument donation process begins by having people complete the instrument donation form at the top of our website (musiclinkfoundation.org), and send photos to the MusicLink national office. We send out these photos to MusicLink teachers in the area of the donation (if pianos) or beyond for other instruments. In the past four months, MusicLink has placed four acoustic pianos (including one grand piano), three digital pianos, one keyboard for a new MusicLink student, and a library of piano music to a graduating MusicLink senior. We have a small inventory of violins of different sizes and qualities in storage for future use.

Ramon Lopez (GA), age 15, is all smiles upon receiving a donated piano from the MusicLink Foundation. He has been taking piano lessons with Nora Martin for 10 years, since age 5. He is currently a 10th grader at the local STEM magnet school where he maintains a straight A average. His plan is to continue his piano studies through high school, at least. He is using the new piano to improve enough to earn some scholarship funds for college. He aspires to attend Georgia Tech University where he is considering a minor in music along with a more technical degree. He also attends church with his family and volunteers at the local food pantry. The Beethoven statuette in the photo was a gift for volunteering his time as a camp counselor in summer music camps.

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.