It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost seven years since we started the music school at Abbott. For some of you reading this, you may be thinking, “I haven’t heard much about the Abbott Center for the Arts lately,” and I’m sure that there are those who are unaware that we even have a Center for the Arts at Abbott.The Abbott Center for the Arts had a humble beginning. We started with 2 piano teachers and 8 students, most of whom were either Warrens or Leiningers, and we’ve grown from there. Two factors have dictated the direction that our program has taken over the years – our desire to meet a need in the community, and the desire to become a vehicle for individuals to share their talents. Our Music Together program, that is run by Suzannah Bauer, is a good example of these two factors.Suzannah received her musical training as a member of The Children’s Chorus of Maryland, and while she was still in high school, she shared with me her dream to teach music in the style of CCM. She decided to pursue a music degree at Eastern University, and during summer breaks, she taught music fundamentals and began to develop her teaching techniques.After her graduation from Eastern, the church sponsored her certification for Music Together, which is one of the first research based music programs for children birth to 4 years old. She is the only one offering Music Together in the Southeast area, and the program has flourished under her leadership. Suzannah has 30 families involved in these classes, which she offers throughout the week.Last summer, Suzannah started a Master’s Degree program at Loyola College, which will result in her Kodaly Certification. As part of her studies, she is writing curriculum for elementary students, which she will then implement with her Music Together graduates.In addition to Music Together, the ACA is offering both group and private piano instruction, voice, guitar, and drum lessons. Our current staff of 5, Julius Fischer Jr. piano, Elizabeth Leininger piano, Bert Rode drums/guitar, Jerel Flynn guitar, and Suzannah Bauer voice, teach 3 voice, 7 guitar, 4 drum, and 25 piano students.On behalf of all the people involved in the ACA, I would like to thank the people of Abbott for your generous support that has allowed us to provide scholarships and make this program affordable to the families in our community.P.S. Keep your ears open for information about upcoming auction fundraiser (end of April or the beginning of May) to raise money for scholarships.

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