The Joy of Music School provides free lessons, instruments, music and materials to hundreds of Knoxville-area children who otherwise would do without. For more on the Joy of Music School, including how to volunteer, please visit www.joyofmusicschool.org
One of our board members has teamed up with one of our most generous donors to create a special series of videos to help spread the word about our School.
Clay Prewitt, a group creative director at the Tombras advertising agency, is producing the videos, and the star is Whitney Mitchell, founder and owner of Pipe Wrench Home Services.
In the videos, Whitney talks about the future of youth in our community — and how learning music is good for their character, teaches them discipline and increases their confidence in themselves. As Clay puts it: “Music isn’t just learning to play a melody, it’s learning a lot about life.”
“When I heard about the Joy of Music School, I just knew I wanted to be a part of that,” says Whitney. “Our children are our future, and anything we can do to help them become more well- rounded is so important.”
The footage was shot by Knoxville documentary film maker Edy Recendez and features interviews with Whitney and JoMS Executive Director Frank Graffeo. It also includes some shots of our students and their instructors during lessons at the School.
The plan is to create spots of varying length that can run on TV, social media, YouTube, our website, at public events and so on. Clay figures they’ll be edited and ready for viewing in the late summer/early fall, so keep your eyes out for them.
Thanks to Clay and Whitney for making this possible!
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The Joy of Music School has radio in its DNA. Our late founder, James Dick, is a Knoxville broadcasting legend, who started WIVK and spun that into Dick Broadcasting, owner of multiple stations. So when we had a live radio show broadcasting from the School recently, we felt his presence to be sure.
The Swain Event, a sports talk show on WNML The Sports Animal, set up shop here early one morning in October. The host, Jayson Swain, is a bona fide Vol football hero. His guests, JoMS Executive Director Frank Graffeo, and JoMS administrative volunteer Jaye Rochell (who also played Vol ball), were on air to promote the Tall Paul 30th Anniversary concert (see above), which raised funds for the School.
Frank peppered his interview with a few footballrelated stories. (He was childhood friends with the Mike Ditka family, sold concessions at Texas Stadium in high school, and lived near three Dallas Cowboys as a kid, for example.) But mainly he kept the JoMS thread going, making parallels between music mentoring and sports coaching. Jaye talked about his days as a wide receiver under Coach Butch Jones, and also about his work volunteering at JoMS. School friend and supporter Andy Jeffers of Sports & Entertainment Media made the whole interview possible, drawing on his extensive media contacts, his love for the School, and his friendship with Tall Paul.
These extraordinary individuals joined together to help spread the word via radio about the School, and got us some valuable air time. That’s something to cheer about. And James Dick would sure be proud.
Any jazz or pop musician will tell you that “changes” are chords that make up a song’s harmony and tonality. Well, there are some changes of the standard variety taking place at the Joy of Music School this January, but they’re still intended to keep the music flowing. We will bid a fond farewell to our board president Cindi Alpert as she rotates out of that position after two years.
Cindi, a jazz musician herself, and a radio station owner to boot, started supporting the School in 2012 with an event sponsorship. She then created a charitable promotional CD through her radio station, 106.1 The River, of local musicians playing holiday music. All of the proceeds supported JoMS. She went on to create our Swing for Joy charity golf tournament in 2016, which is thriving.
Cindi joined the board in 2014 and was elected president in 2018. “Cindi’s energy and overflowing charitable heart made this a better organization from the minute we connected with her,” says Executive Director Francis Graffeo. “We are all so grateful.”
Term limits dictate that she now step off of the board for at least a year, but she intends to continue her support. “I’m a lifelong musician and immediately connected with the mission of the School when I learned about their mission,” she says. “I will always be a supporter and collaborator.”
Cindi will be replaced in 2020 by President-Elect Jack Fellers, a retired professor from the University of Tennessee. Jack is already an enthusiastic board leader, having served on several committees, and is a volunteer piano teacher at the School. He has served on the board of directors of the UT School of Music as well. “I’m looking forward to directing my energies toward the continued success of the School and of the kids we teach,” he says.
These changes, like any good set of chords, make the best kind of harmony.
The Joy of Music School provides free lessons, instruments, music and materials to hundreds of Knoxville-area children who otherwise would do without. For more on the Joy of Music School, including how to volunteer, please visit www.joyofmusicschool.org
The Joy of Music School provides free lessons, instruments, music and materials to hundreds of Knoxville-area children who otherwise would do without. For more on the Joy of Music School, including how to volunteer, please visit www.joyofmusicschool.org
The Joy of Music School provides free lessons, instruments, music and materials to hundreds of Knoxville-area children who otherwise would do without. For more on the Joy of Music School, including how to volunteer, please visit www.joyofmusicschool.org
Just like roasting chestnuts and Jack Frost nipping at your nose, it wouldn’t be the holidays in Knoxville without Holiday Sparkles & Spirits. Our 13th annual fundraiser is all set for Tuesday night, Dec. 4, at the Cherokee Country Club. Start time is 6:30 p.m. The ticket price: $125 per person.
We promise it’ll be the jolliest Tuesday night you can imagine. There’ll be heartwarming musical performances by our students, wine and delicious appetizers, and sensational holiday shopping. You’ll be able to choose from a vast assortment of gift ideas, from jewelry and wine (the “sparkles and spirits” that gave this event its name) to travel and sports memorabilia and much more.
We’ll see you there!
Act Now! Please call or email the School today to reserve your place! Phone: 865-525-6806.
Email: info@joyofmusicschool.org Want more details? You should have received an invitation by mail, but if you can’t find it, visit our website and click on the banner.
In March we got an unexpected and unusual request from Swiss documentary filmmaker Richard Dindo. He needed a small boy to appear in a documentary about author and Knoxville native James Agee. While filming in Knoxville, Dindo wanted to shoot scenes depicting the young Agee in a piano lesson. Frank Graffeo agreed to meet the filmmaker to discuss his proposal.
After getting all the details, Frank asked Julie Carter, our director of music education, to identify a boy based on Dindo’s request. Valentyn, a young JoMS piano student of volunteer teacher Mary Beckley, fit the bill perfectly.
Fast forward to September: Dindo was back in Knoxville filming on location with costumes, makeup, lights, cameras and … action! Valentyn played, literally, his part and had a successful day of shooting, just like a Hollywood star. The production company compensated his family, and now we simply await the premiere. Stay tuned!
The Joy of Music School provides free lessons, instruments, music and materials to hundreds of Knoxville-area children who otherwise would do without. For more on the Joy of Music School, including how to volunteer, please visit www.joyofmusicschool.org
Our second annual Swing for Joy fundraiser golf tournament was a smashing success. Held on a smoldering summer morning —Aug. 27, which happens to be the birthday of our founder, James A. Dick—it featured 61 participants and raised almost $5,000 for the School. “One of the real highlights was the turnout,” says Cindi Alpert, our board president and the organizer of Swing for Joy. “There were so many new faces this year. It was wonderful.” For that we can thank a solid marketing effort that included multiple advertising spots on Cindi’s radio stations, 106.1 the River and 104.9 Good Time Oldies.
One of the participants was Arthur Dick, son of James, who came all the way from North Carolina and played in the tournament. We were thrilled to welcome him. The winning team was Brad Hall, Jerry Glenn, Darryl Whitehead, and Chase Wilhite. Special shoutout to JoMS board member Damon Falconnier, who played golf for the first time that day and whose team was able to use some of his very good shots! Afterward we enjoyed a fun awards luncheon, with raffles and prizes and delicious food from Archer’s BBQ. We are most grateful to everyone involved and we look forward to seeing you next year at Swing for Joy III!
What does the Caribbean sound like? Imagine an island beach and then listen for music. Hear that? Yes, your brain just played the steel drum, or steel pan. That magical pinging, singing tone has arrived at the Joy of Music School, thanks to Randy Kerns, co-owner of Panyard, Inc., makers of musical steel pans and accessories. Randy, who serves on the UT School of Music Advisory Board, recently toured JoMS with Executive Director Frank Graffeo.
Randy brought a donation—a charming pink steel pan with a stand whose base is a pair of plastic “bare feet.” (They almost make you feel the sand between your toes.) Randy is a musician himself and hopes “to encourage the School to start a steel pan class.” He included a stack of brand new teaching and learning books, and CDs as well.
During the tour Randy mentioned he plays accordion with his family, usually around the holidays. “Maybe we could form the world’s first steel pan/accordion band,” Frank suggested. “We might have a recruiting challenge,” Randy answered, “but it’s worth a try!”
“On the road again,” sings Willie Nelson, “I just can’t wait to get on the road again!” No matter how captivating the traveling life may be, every road warrior eventually needs fuel, sustenance, and rest. Nobody meets those needs better than one of the Joy of Music School’s most faithful sustainers, Pilot Flying J. Pilot Flying J is partnering with the Haslam Family Foundation as Presenting Sponsors of our Holiday Sparkles & Spirits fundraiser again this year (see page 1).
Founder Jim Haslam’s company and his family’s foundation annually pair up to make sure our event is a success, but more important, they help assure our volunteers can solidly carry out our mission. The Foundation and corporate support are proof to us that Mr. Haslam’s vision is matched only by his generosity. Pilot Flying J stores (more than 750, serving 1.6 million daily guests) line the highways of the continent. So, next time you’re on the road again and you spot a Pilot Flying J, pump the brakes. Stop in for fuel, rest, and goodness. Reflect on how those good folks support the art and discipline of music for deserving kids here in East Tennessee. Then, hop back in your car, turn up the music, and ease on down the road.
Joy of Music School 