photo: Executive Director Elizabeth McGuire and Education Director Kathy Kucsan during a celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Center for Musical Arts
Kathy Kucsan, Education Director
💗Kathy’s Valentine: Why I Love the Center for Musical Arts
First conceived of and known as the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts (RMCMA) for the first fifteen years of her life, this school has truly been a labor of love. (Our name was shortened to Center for Musical Arts when we merged with the Colorado Music Festival, a partnership forged from a mutual love of education and performance at the highest level.) Making a place where music is accessible to all has been an honor, an adventure, and more rewarding that I ever could have imagined.
💗I love our students.
One of my favorite things has always been to hang around the waiting area during busy lesson times. Kids (and adults) coming and going, toting all kinds of instrument cases, smiles on faces – I see and hear such joy. I know that some of that joy will stay with them for their whole lives because music makes that so. And they already know it, no matter how young they are.
One of our flute students came into the office one day bearing a magic marker and a sticker-decorated envelope. Inside the envelope was $3.47. She was somehow aware of and understood what the Annual Fund Drive was about and she wanted to contribute part of her allowance so that “some other kids can make beauty.” Since that day, the Center for Musical Arts has reached over 20,000 students, from toddlers through nonagenarians (!) who have come to discover how to “make beauty” with their own music. I can’t not love that!
💗I love our faculty.
Center for Musical Arts teachers are passionate, skilled, versatile, dedicated and very skilled at what they do, which is sharing music with any student who walks through their studio door. I respect and appreciate their ability to work with students of all ages and backgrounds. They inspire me every day. We have teachers just a few years out of college, and we have teachers who have decades of experience and many in between. They’re all amazing.
Just as an example, take Mr. C. (Steve Christopher), who was Director of Bands at Fairview High School for years before he “retired” and came to the Center to run the jazz program. Steve is a master teacher, a teacher of teachers, and an inductee into the Colorado Music Educators Hall of Fame. Just being around him is inspiring because everything he does supports music learning and pretty much everything he does involves music. You can’t not learn from him, that’s just how it is.
(Read our Faculty Highlights to learn more about why you should love each of them!)
💗I love that music is so powerful, so meaningful…
…so mysterious, so heartfelt and that it’s so very different for everyone. Music inspires us to connect and understand one another, fosters respect and appreciation across cultures, and provides the soundtrack to our lives and loves.
💗Happy Valentine’s Day from the Center for Musical Arts.
No matter where you fit in the Center for Musical Arts family, we are grateful for you. Happy Valentine’s Day from the Center for Musical Arts!