Joy of Music School

Music Notes – Newsletter

Category Archives: Marketing/Public Relations

The School works hard to keep our kids and activities in the public eye.


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How We Spread the Joy

The Joy of Music School happily welcomes more than 200 kids to our building for lessons and classes every week, but our influence extends way beyond these four walls. Every year we engage as many as 1,000 young people with the art and discipline of music in after-school programs and summer classes.

This year, with support from your donations, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Jeff Breazeale Foundation (see page 5), we are sending four teachers out to a record 14 area organizations, including Boys & Girls Clubs, Urban Family Outreach, Wesley House, and the Great Schools Partnership’s 21st Century Learning Center programs.

This fall we’ve added a new teacher to our outreach programming, Doris Moreland, a retired elementary school teacher from Sequoyah Hills Elementary. Welcome Doris! She joins Joe Jordan, Will Carter and Anthony Hussey as they fan out into the community and reach those children and teens who cannot make it to our building, but who still want music in their lives.

Outreach was an important part of our founder’s vision. James Dick knew that many children in East Tennessee couldn’t simply hop into a parent’s car after school and get a ride to a music lesson. He felt these musical children should not be denied opportunities to learn and grow just because they can’t get here.

Music changes lives—at home or on the road! If you know of an after-school music program that could use a music teacher, free of charge, let us know. Music is everywhere. Let’s be sure there are musicians everywhere, too! Students at Urban Family Outreach Photo by Wilson Browning


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A Letter from the Executive Director

Francis Graffeo

Francis Graffeo

A friend gave me 50-yard-line tickets for a University of Tennessee Vols game last season and I was absolutely inspired … by the band! Wow! It was a thrilling sound from there—one you don’t get in the cheap seats. The game was good, too. We won (I think). The friend who gave me the football tickets didn’t expect I’d be more inspired by the Pride of the Southland Band than the football game—and neither did I. But that’s how it happened.

The children and teens at the Joy of Music School are no different from any of us when it comes to being inspired. We are all primed for it. It happens in expected, and unexpected ways. When we provide lessons, guidance and performance opportunities to our students here, we realize inspiration can happen in any situation we create for them, but we can never predict the exact moment. It might be when a teacher demonstrates a passage, or when a fellow student nails her solo, or when we provide a family tickets to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, or when a student surprises even himself in a lesson. Kids from fortunate families can pay for all sorts of inspiring experiences. But in the eyes of the Joy of Music School, these experiences should be available to every young person who loves music. Why? Our motto says it all: “Because Inspiration Should Be Free.”

Will you help us keep inspiring our students? Every dollar you donate to the Joy of Music School helps put fresh strings on heavily used violins, replace worn-out guitar cases, buy a crisp new method book for a child’s first piano lesson, and more. A fundraising letter will arrive in your mailbox soon. Please help keep the inspiration free.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Francis Graffeo

Executive Director


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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!

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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!

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Experience The Joy of Music Firsthand!

Here’s your chance to be part of something really special. It’s free, it’s fun—and there’s food!

It’s the annual Joy of Music School Spring Recital, Saturday May 9, at 2 p.m. All are welcome at First Christian Church, 211 W. Fifth Avenue in Knoxville.

You’ll be amazed by the spirit and talent of our dedicated students. Sixty-five of our kids will be performing. They’ll play the drums, all manner of strings, the piano, and they’ll sing. This year we’ll even have a rock group that is sure to get your toes tapping.

And be sure to stick around afterward for delicious barbecue. The food will be donated by Joy of Music School board members and will be cooked by them and church members. We really, truly hope to see you there!

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A Round of Applause for our Recital Sponsor

hometrust

Along with proud family members, friends and teachers, the students performing at our May 9 recital will have the support of a new and welcomed sponsor this year: HomeTrust Bank.

HomeTrust has offices in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. It expanded into our state last year when it bought Jefferson National Bank.

“HomeTrust Bank is proud to support an important arts program like the Joy of Music School,” says Beth Kasper, the bank’s sales and marketing coordinator. “We are advocates for education, and skills learned through arts education produce creative problem solvers for our future. Instilling confidence, perseverance, and collaboration will help these students in every part of their lives, and arts education provides all of these.”

We are so grateful for HomeTrust’s support. Special thanks to JoMS board member Trey Coleman, a HomeTrust senior VP, who connected us.

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Letter From the Executive Director

Francis Graffeo

Francis Graffeo

Music is built on tradition and context, and so is its teaching. Recent events at the School have brought this into focus. We recently received a donated harpsichord with its Old World sound and its own place in history. Also, as I write this, the Silver Apples electronic duo is rehearsing in our building for their Big Ears Festival performance. I can hear them now. Silver Apples’ founder, Simeon Coxe, makes rock music with electronically generated sounds, produced by equipment he made himself back before people thought electronic sounds had any role in rock. In the context of rock and roll in the 1970s, this was unusual. Nowadays, electronic music is commonplace, even old hat. Yet, when I look at our harpsichord while I’m hearing Simeon’s synthesizer, electronic is definitely new music. That’s context—centuries of it.

The traditions in both musical modes trace their roots back to seminal creators. In the case of the harpsichord, it’s Antonio Scarlatti and J. S. Bach. In the case of electronic music in rock, it’s Simeon Coxe. In fact, he gave a delightful and informative presentation to our students about his music that gave the kids more context for what’s old and what’s new in music. This direct knowledge handoff is a prime example of tradition in music. Musical details must be passed on from person to person. That’s how it’s taught: a teacher, a student, and their music. The teacher helps the student understand context and passes on the traditions, giving depth to the student’s performing. Give a student a book and an instrument and turn him loose? You’re doing it wrong. When you add the teacher, then the music, the audience and the listener are transformed.

Sincerely,

Francis Graffeo

Executive Director

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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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Making Music, Supporting Music

Keith Brown

Knoxville jazz musician Keith Brown is well-known for his skills on the piano. He also deserves acclaim for his generosity of time and money. Keith came to the School one evening this winter with a couple of bandmates, playing a handful of tunes and chatting about music with a delighted group of students and parents. He is working on his second album, “The Journey”, which he hopes will appear this summer. To help raise money to record and produce the album, he turned to an outfit called PledgeMusic.com. Once he reached his fundraising goal, 10 percent of all the cash above that amount will be donated to the Joy of Music School.

Keith heard about the Joy of Music through Taber Gable, a friend and fellow jazz musician who took lessons here while growing up. “I just think it’s a great thing,” Keith says of the School. “It’s good to have them here.”

Our heartfelt thanks and best wishes for continued success to Keith Brown!

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Other Ways You Can Help

  • Pitch in on our Spring Recital on May 9. We need a truck, setup, ushers, kid wranglers, food servers, breakdown, and more.
  • “Follow” “Like” “Friend” “Plus One” us. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn and Instagram. • Share this newsletter with someone who doesn’t know us.
  • If you donate, please let us know if your company matches employee gifts.
  • Buy a $50 tuning hammer (wrench) for our new harpsichord
  • Have carpentry skills? Please fix our guitar storage shelf!
  • Underwrite guitar carrying bags for the kids ($40 each)
  • Shop at smile.amazon.com and select us as your charity. We get a donation equal to .5% of what you spend.

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Our Building Has Never Looked Better

You might think it would be hard to get people excited about “cleanup day” at the Joy of Music School. But then, if you know anything about the volunteer spirit around here, you’ll understand why our two recent cleanup days were smashing successes.

The first, in mid March, came at the end of a soggy week. So we dodged the raindrops by moving all our efforts indoors. Led by Ed Sublett, our manager of volunteer resources, 31 helpers completed all manner of super-important tasks, from wall washing to tile replacement to organizing our deeply disorganized supplies closet. Special thanks to Marco’s Pizza for donating lunch.

Another eager group appeared at the School in late March for an outdoor cleanup. They swept our parking lot and removed debris, trimmed our rose bushes and hedges, unclogged drainage areas and more. These friendly helpers were representing Knoxlife church, which donated mulch as well as a new evergreen bush next to our walkway.

Thanks, all, for helping the Joy of Music School look its best this spring!

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Peyton’s Place: The Joy of Music School

Peyton Manning - Joy of Music School

One of the most famous names in sports, legendary University of Tennessee Knoxville quarterback Peyton Manning, threw a tight spiral of funding our way earlier this year. The now Denver Broncos QB’s PeyBack Foundation gave the Joy of Music School a grant for $7,500 to help underwrite Midsummer Music Mentoring, a program of instruction that introduced kids to basic music-reading skills and practical experience. It was the largest grant we’d ever secured from Manning’s foundation and the first since 2007. We were so grateful we nearly got flagged for excessive celebrating!