Joy of Music School

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A Letter from the Executive Director

Frank Graffeo, Executive Director

Francis Graffeo, Executive Director

Our mission says we serve “at risk” youth. Kids with no supervision and no direction are at risk. Whether at home or on the streets, the enemies are inadequate nutrition (or its opposite, obesity), idle vandalism, unfettered internet access, defenselessness from intruders, gang influence and more. Those are risks that kids cannot handle on their own. They degrade a child’s character, work ethic and self-image, and bring communities down. It’s risky out there. So let’s protect youth from risk.

Risk is bad, right? Not all of it. Our children can benefit from risk-taking, but adults need to help. I’ve seen kids risk a great deal, putting a lot on the line and emerging better and stronger on the other end. I’m talking about positive risk-taking. In public. On display. With adult guidance. Learning a piece of music, grappling with an instrument, trudging to lessons, putting in the practice time, the repetition, the effort. That’s hard. But those are just the buildup to that perilous moment when the hall goes silent and it’s time to perform, scared or not. That kind of risk has little downside and an enormous upside. Talk about character, work ethic and self-image! When a child has put in the effort and can stand on a stage and do something that most of their friends (and most adults) cannot do, they gain a self-confidence that no one can defeat. And they get applause for it!

In a performance kids risk embarrassment, failure, perhaps social standing. If they fail, stop playing and slither off the stage, who is in the wings? A teacher. Their family. Their friends. All there to give support and encouragement for next time. If we’ve done it right, a kid risks disappointment … but not from others; rather, the enemy is disappointment in oneself. The child controls what’s coming out of that instrument. It’s ultimately up to one person. Face the risk and succeed! Defeat disappointment and celebrate!

What better way to develop a sense of self? Set goals. Self-monitor. Encounter risk. Music does that for kids. Kids do that with music. Encourage the risk. Watch the growth.

Francis Graffeo

 

 

 

Executive Director

 

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Make a Bequest

You can make a bequest to the Joy of Music School by including language in your will or living trust leaving a portion of your estate to the School, or by designating the Joy of Music School as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance policy.

Remembering the Joy of Music School with a bequest from your estate will help sustain and strengthen our work in years to come.

 

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We’re So Glad He’s Back

Rick Carl

Rick Carl

This year we got a new board president, but he’s not brand new. You might say he is renewed.

Rick Carl, a former Webb School music director-turned-lawyer, joined our board in 2002 and ascended to the presidency in 2006. But the next year, Rick’s wife, Lynn, an attorney and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra violinist, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Rick stepped off our board to tend to her. Sadly, she died in 2009, leaving Rick alone to raise their son, Rick Jr., then 12. We all grieved with our friend as his son played a piano composition entitled “He’s My Son” at her memorial.

But the world carries on, and Rick’s life took another turn when he married Joanna, a friend from 35 years earlier at Maryville College, where he was a music major. She is a sparkling presence in his life, and an extraordinary classically trained pianist as well. Rick Jr., a gifted musician, now attends the University of Rochester, and Rick has returned to the Joy of Music School. Once back on the board, he was unanimously elected president. We welcome back our not-so-brand-new president, and dear old friend, with open arms.


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‘Blossoming’ Thanks to Music

Eriana

Eriana

Eriana was a shy, sometimes withdrawn sort of kid—until she started attending the Joy of Music School. That’s how her grandmother Norma recalls it. “She’s just blossomed since starting there,” says Norma. “She’s not self-conscious at all.”

Eriana, who is 10, remembers it the same way. “I was quiet,” she says. “But you make friends, and you learn about music, and you don’t feel like being so quiet anymore.”

Her first exposure to the School came four years ago, when Eriana enrolled in General Music, a group class taught by Joe Jordan. “It was really cool,” she says. “He (Joe Jordan) was really nice.”

In 2014 she started taking piano lessons from our Executive Director, Frank Graffeo, an experience she calls “fabulous.” She explains: “I got so hooked by it. It’s just so fun, and you get to learn new things, and it sounds so pretty.”

Eriana practices the piano every day, her grandmother reports. “She doesn’t even have to be told. And she begs to go to the recital.” Her favorite pieces at the moment are Für Else and Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

Her next goal: to take singing lessons. Which, when you consider how shy she was just two years ago, is pretty remarkable. Says her grandmother: “I couldn’t be happier about the Joy of Music School.”


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Our Students in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

alex_chambers

Five current Joy of Music School students are bringing their talents to the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association, a highly selective group of the area’s top young musicians. Two of them, violinists Weston and Alex, recently won placement in the KSYO’s Chamber Orchestra, the second-highest level within the group. (Only the Youth Orchestra is higher.) They are the first JoMS students to reach the Chamber Orchestra. Maya, another violinist, recently won her first placement in the Preludium Orchestra while violinist Kimber and cellist Autumn are participating in the Philharmonium Orchestra. Congrats to all! The KSYO performs regularly at the Tennessee Theatre. You should come see for yourself how talented they are!

weston_thames


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The Great Piano Move

The story of how we got our newest piano is one with more twists and turns than a Chopin prelude. But thanks to the generosity of Reg and Mary Hodges and Richard Cadmus, it has a very happy ending.

The tale began when the Hodges came to visit our School in 2012, en route from Kentucky to their future retirement home in Florida. They had heard about us on The Secret Millionaire, an ABC-TV show featuring the Joy of Music School several years ago. Reg and Mary had a beautiful 1985 Baldwin baby grand that they wanted to donate when they moved full-time to Florida. We were so grateful! Only problem was, it was 500 miles away. How would we get it to our School for our students?

Executive Director Frank Graffeo did a lot of research and figured the best price he could get was $700 to ship the piano to Nashville. From there, former JoMS Board Member Brandon Herrenbruck generously offered to bring it to Knoxville for free. Still, that was $700 we didn’t exactly have lying around.

By spring 2015, the clock was ticking. With the Hodges about to move from their Kentucky home for good, Frank knew he had to make a decision about the piano. And that’s when Lenoir City resident Richard Cadmus appeared seemingly out of nowhere, popping his head in and having a look around our School one afternoon in May. Richard works in “the piano business,” he said. Impressed by what he saw during a tour of the School, he offered to help us tune, repair and even move our instruments.

Frank’s heart leaped. “Did you say ‘move’?” he asked. “Are you talking local moves or would you help us move a piano from Kentucky?” Richard said he’d be glad to do it, free of charge.

The Hodges’ piano arrived in Knoxville July 10, the day after Taber Gable’s benefit concert. A big Joy of Music School THANK YOU to Reg and Mary Hodges and Richard Cadmus!hodges_pianoClick here go to to the top post.


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See You at Cherokee Country Club!

The 2015 version of Holiday Sparkles & Spirits, our annual fundraiser party, is shaping up to be the biggest and most festive yet. It’ll have all the elements that make HS&S one of Knoxville’s most inspiring evenings, plus the event is so jam-packed with goodness we’re moving it to the Cherokee Country Club ballroom. The evening, Dec. 8, will feature heart-warming performances by Joy of Music School students and a dazzling array of gift ideas in our live and silent auctions. Out-of- this-world wines! Beautiful jewelry! A wild game dinner! An Italian dinner! A condo in Vail Valley! Your ticket price of $100 includes delicious heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine and, of course, goes to support the Joy of Music School. Please call the School at 865-525-6806 to reserve your spot now!

cherokee_hss


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We Love Our Community!

One of the best parts of making Knoxville our home is the consistent love and support we get from local folks. Recently four groups have gone out of their way to raise money for the School, so here’s our chance to say thanks to them.

  • The International. In December, this nightclub hosted a special event with four heavy metal bands and 100 percent of the door proceeds benefited the School.
  • Scruffy City Hall. Event promoter Barry Garner presented the first “Rockin’ the Runway” event at the Market Square arts space in March. A fashion show with a rock and roll theme, it made a generous donation to the School.
  • West High School’s Music Theater Class. An April 22 event at the Standard has students performing a favorite song, with proceeds from the $5 tickets benefiting the Joy of Music School.
  • Painting with a Twist. Tickets to the studio’s second annual “Painting for Joy” event on April 28 cost $35, with a portion benefiting the School.

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Ready, Set, Recital!

Students Perform at our 2013 Recital

Students Perform at our 2013 Recital

You know joy and you know music, but have you ever truly seen them in action together? We suggest the Joy of Music School’s Annual Recital on Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m.

This is our kids’ moment in the spotlight, their time to shine. “This is the Big One for our students,” as Music Director Julie Carter puts it.

Months and even years of practice pay off as they step onto the stage, often for the first time. Singers, violinists, drummers, pianists and more! When all the applause finally subsides, the children are beaming, their families are bursting with pride, and our instructors are glowing with the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

The recital takes place at First Christian Church, 211 W. 5th Ave., Knoxville, 37917 and features performances by roughly 65 awesome children, each of whom earned his or her spot on the recital by auditioning. It will be followed by a reception featuring delicious barbecue. Admission is free.

See you there!

 

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Taber’s Journey to Juilliard

 

Taber Gable

Taber Gable

Taber Gable stands to make history twice (at least) this year. When he graduates from the University of Hartford this spring, he’ll be the first UH student to graduate on a full jazz piano scholarship. And if all goes as planned, this fall he will become the first Joy of Music School student to attend the world-renowned Juilliard School.

Taber’s journey to New York City and the pinnacle of musical training began at the end of 2013 when he sent an audition video to the Jazz Graduate School at Juilliard, whose director is the legendary Wynton Marsalis. The next step was the harrowing live audition in Manhattan. Despite getting lost on the way and arriving with icy fingers, he got a callback later that day. This time he was accompanied by a bass player and drummer. The committee asked for a couple of standards followed by Thelonius Monk’s “Hackensack.” The bass player threw him a curve by changing keys mid-tune. But Taber had strenuously prepared for just such a twist and handled it without incident. At the end of the session, the committee thanked him and said they would be in touch in about a month.

The results were posted online in March, and he was in—with a merit-based scholarship covering nearly all his expenses. Bravo, Taber! Your friends at the Joy of Music School will be eagerly watching your exciting career trajectory.

 

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