Spring 2011

The Kansas City Vocal Institute Magazine will continue to update donors, teachers, and students about the events of the Institute only on a quarterly basis.  The Institute has had a time of steady growth and steady enrollment figures.  All of the current classes being offered will continue through the foreseeable future unless they prove to be ineffective to the types of services we are wanting to provide.

The Institute had a very successful Celebrity Charity Auction in December and we raised over $3,000 from the items.  With this money, along with individual donations from their celebrity donors, the Institute was able to raise more than $10,000 in just a few weeks.  This money has been allotted to the specific scholarships and we hope to maintain and replenish these scholarship funds for years to come.  Currently, the Institute is supporting the following scholarship funds:  Maya Angelou Music Scholarship, William Bolcom Music Scholarship, Betty Buckley Music Scholarship, David Cook Music Scholarship, Tenzin Gyatso Music Scholarship, Melissa Etheridge Music Scholarship, Stephen Flaherty Music Scholarship, Marilyn Horne Music Scholarship, James Horner Music Scholarship, Angelina Jolie Music Scholarship, Beth Krommes Music Scholarship, Morten Lauridsen Music Scholarship, Yo-Yo Ma Music Scholarship, Emily McCully Music Scholarship, Zubin Mehta Music Scholarship, Phyllis Naylor Music Scholarship, Randy Newman Music Scholarship, Stephen Sondheim Music Scholarship, Rebecca Stead Music Scholarship, Eric Whitacre Music Scholarship, Daryl Waters Music Scholarship, Tom Watson Music Scholarship, and John Williams Music Scholarship.

The Institute teachers have participated in traveling to various High Schools around the Kansas City metro area beginning in January providing free voice lessons to the students.  Initially, we asked public school teachers what they needed most, and we would help provide for those needs.  The need for private instruction was great, so many of our teachers, out of their own generosity, gave free instruction to the kids.

Also, we have begun advertising a Summer Broadway Camp for kids which will be held on the campus of the University of Missouri - Kansas City.  More information can be found on our website: www.kcvocalinstitute.com.

The Institute is also planning to expand into instrumental music with Guitar lessons beginning in May.  This will help our education purposes for those wanting Pop or other other instrumental performance based lessons.  Hopefully, we will be able to provide these lessons around the metro area at various locations.  This will also help expand our educational field to be more inclusive and more practical for children and adults.

Our next update will be at the beginning of Summer and until then, keep singing!