July 2022
30th Anniversary VideosMusicLink is celebrating its 30th year by broadcasting online videos of teachers, students, and alumni who have been part of MusicLink for many years. Hopefully you find these short glimpses and performances enjoyable. We encourage any MusicLink teacher to share a short student performance or a personal tribute through video. Send videos or personal stories to musiclink.foundation@gmail.com. Current videos include Julie Wegener, our New York City MusicLink Coordinator and her MusicLink student, Anmy Paulino. Check our website homepage to view all of the 30th anniversary videos. In addition, we are collecting stories and photos of MusicLink memories that we plan to put into a commemorative book and online site. Please send stories, photos, and videos that we can collect to create a publication and online commemorative site for this special anniversary. Send anything you feel would be useful for this to musiclink.foundation@gmail.com. Pam Jensen - MusicLink National Administrative Assistant
Amazon Smile and Facebook Donations
There is a simple way to support MusicLink with every purchase you make on Amazon or choose the MusicLink Foundation in connection with a Facebook donation. Simply log onto Amazon Smile (smile.amazon.com) and choose MusicLink Foundation as a designated charity and shop as usual! We receive a small donation with EACH purchase made on Amazon. Please spread the word to your friends and family about this simple way to donate just by making normal purchases from Amazon. Once it's set-up the donations happen automatically every time you buy something. In the same way, you can designate the MusicLink Foundation with a few clicks on Facebook if you have an event or celebration done through Facebook. Of course, you can also contribute directly on our website. THANKS for any support you can provide. MusicLink Senior |
Congratulations to MusicLink |
|||||||||||||
We reach the end of another school year and see studios opening up for in-person lessons, end of year recitals, and music camp summers.
This eLINK issue celebrates our MusicLink seniors who are heading out into the world after years of musical training thanks to our
MusicLink teachers. We continue our 30th anniversary year, seeking to reach 8000 students by the end of 2022 with 180 students needed
to reach our goal. We are asking teachers who may already be teaching at a discount to register a student to enjoy the benefits
of joining MusicLink.
Our new MusicLink administrative assistant, Pam Jensen, grew up in a household filled with music. Her dad was a trumpet player in the Penn
State marching band and music was always playing in the house when she was growing up. Her parents encouraged her to play French Horn which
she did from fourth grade through her high school graduation. Pam fondly remembers her days in band and the impact it had on her life and
decided after retirement from over 35 years in association management and event planning that she wanted to help kids experience the joys
of music. Pam graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Park and Recreation Administration. She and her husband live in
Herndon, Virginia, with their dog. They enjoy visiting their two grown daughters and traveling.
We are pleased to present the 2022 MusicLink Senior Award of Excellence to Samuel Norton, a piano student of Sylvia Lange of Maple Grove,
MN. Samuel began exploring music at the age of three through The Kiddie Keys Program in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He started private piano
lessons at the age of five, followed by violin lessons a few years later. Throughout the years, Samuel has performed in the State Honors
Contest, Minnesota Music Teachers Forum Recitals, several duets at the Minnesota Music Teachers Association Ensemble Festival, and will
be playing Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique at the Senior Honors Recital this summer.
The Dorothy B. and Mel Kurzen Camp Scholarship provides an annual scholarship of $1000 to a select MusicLink student who is seeking a
summer experience at a music camp where tuition fees exceed our normal $250 camp scholarship. This year this scholarship was awarded
to Malik Muhammad who will be attending the Interlochen Center for the Art Summer Music Camp in Michigan.
MusicLink Foundation prides itself on the many positive reviews it receives on the GreatNonprofits.org website. MusicLink
has received their Top-Rated Nonprofit badge for the last eight consecutive years. We hope you can take a few moments to add your comments
about MusicLink on their website:
Michelle Benitez (CA)
|
Michelle Benitez graduated from Cathedral City High School in May, 2022. She studied piano with Dr. Denise Ondishko for three years
with the support of the Music Link program. She plans to attend UCLA where she will major in music education.
Imani Esbrand (MD)
|
Imani Esbrand has been a MusicLink piano student studying under the guidance of Lorena Brougher. She has been playing piano since the
7th grade, mostly learning through classes in school and with practice on her own time at home. It has always been an exciting hobby
and a goal of hers to be proficient at a higher degree through her studies. Mrs. Lorena has been very patient, informative and great
at what she does and she has helped Imani improve.
Kylie Frush (TX)
Kylie Frush is an honors graduate from Glen Rose High school where she was in honor society, and received various awards including TGCA All
State, TGCA Academic All State and THSCA Academic All State Honorable Mention. She received a track scholarship and will work toward a
nursing degree at San Angelo State University (a nationally ranked track program). Kylie won various honors including multiple composition
awards at state, division and national levels in the Texas and Music Teachers National competitions as well as the National Federation of
Music Clubs composition contests. She also earned state theory medals, music history state medals, All Star Festival state medals and was
on the Abilene piano ensembles at the TMTA state convention. She received a certificate and cash award for Honorable Mention for Abilene
Music Teachers Association Senior Participation, and a plaque and cash award for Honorable Mention at state for the Texas Music Teachers
Association Senior Participation Award. Kylie was a student of Sherry Frush, NCTM (her grandmother) for 14 years (virtual since 5th grade
due to living in a different city) and also was a studio instructor via Zoom.
Sophie Pancoast (WA)
Sophie Pancoast of Kettle Falls, Washington, began her musical studies at the age of 6 when she was adopted from China. Despite being
deaf, she has always felt music deeply and plays the piano with an unexpected sensitivity to sound. She has received many honors and
awards and performed in a variety of honors recitals in recognition of the quality of her work and musicianship. Music will always be
a part of her life as she heads to college and continues on her journey towards working in social work with elderly individuals who need
extra support and help. Sophie has studied with long-term MusicLink teacher Brandy Pancoast.
John Perez (CA)
|
John Perez graduated from Cathedral City High School in May. He studied jazz piano with Dr. Denise Ondishko for 2 1/2 years with the
support of the Music Link program. He plans to major in administrative health and plans to continue playing jazz piano.
Carla Becerra Sabrera (VA)
|
Carla Becerra Sabrera of Arlington, Virginia has been a piano student of Anne Beamer since 2014. During her eight years of piano, Carla
earned two NFMC Gold Cups for her superior ratings in the Virginia Federation of Music Club Spring Festivals and performed in many local
recitals organized by her wonderful piano teacher. As a piano student, she also received the Rosa Van Stavoren Scholarship from the
Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association for her motivation and commitment to playing music. Carla will graduate as valedictorian
of her class with an IB Diploma from Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington VA. She will attend Yale University on a full
scholarship with plans to major in Molecular Biology. Carla performed Mélodie, Op. 4, No. 2 by Fannie Mendelssohn Hensel in her Senior
Piano Recital on June 12, 2022.
Emily Schmidt (ND)
Emily Schmidt is the daughter of Jason and Michele Schmidt of Gladstone, North Dakota, and graduated from Richardton-Taylor High School,
Richardton, ND in May 2022. She has taken piano lessons for 13 years (6 years as a Music Link student) and has participated in National
Federation of Music Clubs piano festivals in Solo, Hymns and Duet categories for 10 years, receiving gold cups in each of those categories.
In high school she was involved in volleyball, speech, one-act play competition, band and choir. Emily plans to attend North Dakota State
College of Science to study architecture drafting and technology.
Avery Stevenson (TX)
Avery Stevenson is an honors graduate from Wylie High School. She was ranked 11th in her class, in honor society and was a long-distance
runner in track. She will attend the University of Texas and plans to study biology. Avery studied with Sherry Frush, NCTM, for 11 years.
During those years, she won various awards and honors - including earning multiple superior ratings in festivals, state theory test
medals, state Music History medals, All Star Festival state medals, and being part of the Abilene Piano ensembles at the TMTA state
convention.
She also was a studio instructor for several years. Avery received a certificate and cash award for Third place for the Abilene Music
Teachers Association Senior Participation, and a plaque and cash award for Honorable Mention at state for the Texas Music Teachers
Association Senior Participation Award.
Adalia Rose Kinard - A Special Senior Story
(as told by her parents)
Adalia Rose Kinard goes by her nickname Addie Mae. She started teaching herself beginning guitar and piano at about the age of 12. She
was soon starting to write her own songs and wanted to learn more guitar skills, so she joined Columbia Arts Academy for a year.
Due to finances, we couldn't continue lessons there so we searched for assistance. Thankfully, we found the Music Link Foundation. She joined Saving Grace Music through the Music Link Foundation and took guitar lessons for several months before she was involved in a car accident in August, 2021. She is currently recovering from a traumatic brain injury due to the accident.
Addie has always wanted to move to Nashville to pursue music. Throughout her musical career she has won two of her high school talent
shows. She auditioned and participated in Celebration of Music with Ethan Bortnick. She performed at the Jam Room Music Festival on the
Columbia Arts Academy stage in Columbia, SC. Last summer, Addie tried out for a television music show competition and passed the auditions.
She was scheduled to start filming last fall but got in the accident shortly after finding out this news. We were told that if she ever makes
a full recovery she could possibly be cast on a future season.
We have all been praying for her healing, but her brain injury is severe. She remembers song lyrics and can still sing along to all the songs she learned in the past, but she still isn't able to play her guitar although she tries every day. We don't know if she lost the memory of how to play it or if she just isn't able to make her hands work the same. It may be something she can regain with hard work.
Addie is currently learning to walk again. She also has vision problems but she can still see a little. The day of the accident, the
doctor said could possibly be deaf, blind, and paralyzed on the left side, but she continues to surprise her health care team with her
remarkable recovery. It is our hope that she will at least be able to regain some ability to play her guitar even if it's for her own
personal enjoyment.
She graduated with honors in May of 2021 from Andrew Jackson Academy. Click on the link to hear Addie performing her cover "IDK You Yet"
| ||||