Friends,

2017 has been a great year for TIA! We are so thankful for all of our wonderful students, families, and those in the community that make TIA what it is and allow us to continue the mission and keep the music going! We began the year with under 100 students and five faculty members. This last year we sadly said goodbye to Ben who went on to college, with a full scholarship! And to Julie who transitioned to be a homesteading mom and teaching out of her home. Jordan has also left us to go back to school with the goal of being a public-school teacher (music). We are thankful that we had the opportunity to work with them and wish them all the best!

But we were also bursting at the seams at the beginning of 2017 and have since moved in to a new space which has been an exciting new adventure to us all, and we continue to grow! Now at nearly 120 students before the new semester, I expect we will easily break 150 by the end of the summer. We’ve also added a handful of new faculty this year: Jimothy has been doing great work teaching piano and will be taking over all of Jordan’s students come this new year. We added Molly on voice, and she has been doing great work. And most recently we added Jessica (also voice) and David, who is a multi-instrumentalist that is already teaching guitar and will be teaching some piano in the new year, and we hope bass as well. Over the summer, Mary-Elizabeth took on a student teacher role for us and did great work leading her own Music 101 for Vocalists, which we hope to kick back up this summer again. Finally, Thomas has been a gift, taking over Ben’s students and bringing his unique gifts and passion to the team.

We’ve been hard at work trying to make TIA Tacoma happen as well. We are still working on a suitable site, but we have Jimothy (who lives and works mostly in Tacoma) and Jason McGrath (woodwinds) on board to teach in Tacoma, as well as Molly who will likely teach out of her new home studio for us in the Tacoma area. So we just need a suitable space.  If you know of any leads, let us know.

We are so thankful and honestly, I stand amazed every day that I get the opportunity to do what I do, to work with such a great team, to serve so many families, and that the academy continues to grow. I appreciate your support, and if you are seeking to give and or have a few extra dollars to give toward year end giving, TIA could always use your support. All funds donated to TIA will be used to help scholarship students who qualify for TIA reduced or free tuition. I take no salary from TIA apart from what every other faculty member is paid for teaching hours..

If you would like to give, you can write a check to TIA or The Tuned In Academy and I believe if it is post-marked by the end of the year you can still deduct it for 2017. You can mail checks to:

 The Tuned In Academy

202 Phoenix Street  NE
Olympia, WA 98506

You can also give via PayPal here.

Thanks so much,

Sean-David, Director, TIA