directorsblog

This fall we will be adding to our music program with Garage Bands, Combos and Performing Choirs.  Garage Bands give students an opportunity to learn how to play in a group with other musicians.  Students are grouped by ability and musical interests and we will have Rock & Jazz bands and string, wind and vocal ensembles. 

We are also forming Children's Performance Choirs complete with choreography and costumes.  Children's Choirs will meet on Monday afternoons beginning in Septebmer.  We intend to have many performance opportunities for the children throughout the year.  Details will follow soon so please watch for more information. 

We are so proud of what our students have accomplished this year and to celebrate their progress and success, we are hosting a series of music and dance recitals. 

Our music recitals will be held from 12 noon until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 14 at Dungeness Community Church in Sequim.   These recitals (one per hour) will feature Simply Music piano students, Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitar, Drums, Ukulele, Violin and Mandolin students.  We are so proud of all of the students and cannot wait to see them on stage!  These recitals are free and are open to the public.

Our dance recitals are going to be held at the Sequim High School Auditorium on Saturday, June 21 at 2:00 and Sunday, June 22 at 3:30.  We have 23 groups of dancers performing everything from Ballet to Hip Hop and Cheerdance.  Our youngest dancers are only 3 years old and they are absolutely darling in their pink and green costumes!  All of these students have come so far this year in many ways and we hope you'll join us in celebrating with them.  Tickets go on sale on June 9 and are $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 and older.

It's official--we love Zumba!  Carry and I took advantage of Spring Break and took as many Zumba classes as we could last week.  We are both hooked!  The dancing is so much fun and the hour passes quickly.  Everyone is laughing and sweating and getting a great workout!  I started the week with some tennis shoes and ended it with a pair of dance shoes which made all the difference in my workout.  We have Sansha dance shoes which Zumba recommends and they are awesome!  Instead of sticking to the floor your feet slide and the movements are easier and the workout is much more effective.  The shoes are only $42 a pair--very reasonable.

We hope you'll come in and try Zumba.  I spoken to a couple of women who told me that they love to dance but their husbands don't enjoy it.  With Zumba they get to dance and they don't need a partner.  It really satisifies the desire to dance.

We are officially underway!  Our academy opened on Monday, October 8 as planned and we had a great week getting to meet many families and students.  The dance floors are beautiful and all the dancers are enjoying them.  The music rooms are wonderful and there is a buzz of excitement in the air as afternoon classes get underway in 5 or 6 classrooms at the same time.  We have students learning to play the piano, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin and drums.  We have students learning how to Belly dance and to Hip Hop while others learn Ballet and Jazz.  Some students are taking Yoga and working out with Body Conditioning.  There is something for everyone.  This week we begin Ballroom Dancing on Thursday night and the following week Martial Arts for children ages 7-11 begins.  We are so happy to be able to provide these classes for our community.  We consider it a privilege and honor to serve the families and community of the Olympic Peninsula.  We appreciate everyone's well wishes and support!

We have two Grand Opening dates set:  Saturday, October 13 and Saturday, October 20 from 11:00-3:00.  Many  Free Demonstration Classes will be offered and the schedule will be posted here on the website by Friday, October 5.  Please RSVP to robin@aspireacademy.us if you would like to reserve a spot in a Free Demo class.

Wow, we are so excited today!  Our beautiful custom made Sprung Floors were installed over the weekend (thank you to our wonderful husbands) and the carpets are done.  Our final building inspection is tomorrow and we cannot wait to open the doors! 

We are also thrilled to be able to bring BALLROOM dance to Sequim!  Carol Hathaway and her husband will be teaching Beginning Swing and Foxtrot on Thursdays at 6:45 beginning on October 18.  A partner is recommended but not required.  You can click on the Ballroom Dance link on the left sidebar to find out more.

     We are nearly done with our brand new building!  We have 16 days until we begin our classes at 160 Harrison Road.  We know that many of you have been driving by and looking for the building.  A large banner went up on Thursday to make it official but we will not be there full time until Monday, October 8.

     This week the painting crew will finish up, all the lights will go up, the dance room mirrors will be installed, the sprung floors will be laid, the bathrooms will be finished and the other flooring will be installed.  There are a thousand details to complete but we have them all scheduled and nailed down.  This is a very exciting time and we can't wait to open our doors!

     We are planning to have TWO OPEN HOUSE weekends in October so everyone can check the Academy out.  There will be demo classes and opportunities to meet the teachers and the staff.  Those dates are Saturday October 13 and 20.   Times will be posted very soon.  We hope that you will come and visit us on one of those days!

     It is now August 31 and I am reflecting on the month that is just ending.  This month we've gone from securing a new building and getting approved through the Clallam County Building Department to being ready for drywall installation.  We've been through occupancy plans, plumbing issues (for drinking fountains), figuring out how to light the spaces and developing a lighting plan, developing a heating plan, choosing the appropriate flooring for the music rooms, and taking detailed measurements of the dance rooms for the sprung floors. 

     We've enrolled new Simply Music piano students, met new Kindermusik families and registered a lot of families for our dance and fitness classes.

     We've hired new teachers, added new classes, developed an ad campaign, conducted a photo-shoot,  and worked on making the website a fun and informative place to visit.  SO...Labor Day weekend has taken on a new meaning for us.  We are both exhausted from our labor of love and are taking a three day break because we know that September will be quite a month!  We expect to:  have the drywall installed, have the place painted, have the flooring installed, install the sprung dance floors, have the lights installed, build the reception desk, talk to a million people...and, you get the picture.  Stay tuned as we proceed with our "excellent adventure!"

The Road Trip

About two-and-a-half months ago in mid-June 2007 we (Robin and Carry) made a road trip to Silverdale to purchase a new piano for our growing Simply Music program.  Our plan was to rent two rooms in a new location around the corner from our studio so we could teach more students.  Eight hours later we excitedly announced to our husbands that we wanted to rent FOUR rooms so we could offer a dance program in addition to Simply Music and Kindermusik.

By late June we were busy working on the floorplan and ordering furniture and clocks.  We were advertising locally and in Seattle for dance instructors.  By early July we had three dance teachers in place and the beginning of a schedule.  In mid-July we hit a bump--and it was a big one.  We were told that the building we planned to rent wasn't  zoned properly for our Academy. That night we found a brand new building and the contractor agreed to build the interior to suit.  Moving full steam ahead, we developed a new (and better) floorplan and moved forward!

Here we are mid-August and we have five teachers on staff and over 50 dance and fitness classes scheduled.  Work has begun on our new building and we plan to be in and ready to begin classes on October 8! You can watch the proress on our builidng, from the pouring of the cement to the building of the walls and the installation of the O'Mara Sprung Floors! 

We are so excited about this new venture and we hope you are, too! There are lots of great things ahead and so we invite you to join us on "Robin and Carry's Excellent Adventure!"