T H E
Vol. 1 Issue 6 | A PUBLICATION OF THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S UNIVERSITY
YMU
COLLECTIVE JOSHUA ADAMS
CORY CUFFEE YMU INSTRUCTOR ALUM SPOTLIGHT
YMU BRINGS DIGITAL BEATS TO SC SUMMER CAMP
A U G U S T
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YMU
GMG Academy of the Arts is now
The Young Musician's University Music Education Reimagined
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IN THIS ISSUE
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
We are so happy to be celebrating our 18th year of "Giving the Gift of Music!" Thank you for reading our sixth issue of The YMU Collective as we transition away from an email newsletter format into a digital magazine format! This publication highlights YMU Students, Staff, and other subjects of interest with contributions from our staff as well as YMU student writers.
5 Joshua Adams YMU Student Spotlight
8 Cory Cuffee YMU Instructor Alum Spotlight
If you are a YMU student interested in contributing and being a part of the YMU Collective Team, please send me a message through the YMU Portal. I would love to speak with you and get your insight. Please know that you do not have to be a local student to participate, we will have virtual connect meetings to discuss upcoming events and content.
11 YMU Brings Digital Beats
I hope that you enjoy this publication of the YMU Collective!
12 Mountain High, Valley
Mrs. Gray Director, The Young Musician's University
to SC Summer Camp
Low Confessions of a Music Mom 3
DAILY REMINDER The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be. -Pete Seeger
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THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S UNIVERSITY
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Joshua Adams CONGRATS!! Our student spotlights recognize students who are exceptionally demonstrating growth and musically excelling. We are so grateful to be associated with these fantastic students and their supportive parents! Again Congratulations Joshua! Keep up the great work!
ABOUT JOSHUA My name is Joshua Adams, I am 15 years old and a sophomore at Blythewood High School. I have a twin brother named Jasper that plays drums at YMU. I have been on this journey for about nine years and I'm really glad to see how far I have grown these past few years. This month, I nominate Joshua Adams for Mr. Gray is a great teacher. He has always the YMU Student Spotlight. Joshua is a very hard-working student and has demonstrated stuck with me, encouraging me to never give perseverance throughout his musical journey up when I was losing motivation. I am also in and I'm grateful to be a part of it. my high school orchestra where I play the Learning anything new is a process and at times viola. I started in middle school. When I grow will have difficult moments. Sometimes through these challenging times, you will want to give up. up I would like to become a music composer However, this is part of the process and that's why at for movies and video games. I love the YMU YMU we stress the importance of the parental role in community where we are always learning the musical journey. It's important to have a support new and challenging things. system that is there to encourage you to persevere through the uphill stages. Joshua has done this several times and has wonderful parental support! Joshua is learning how to play a classical song by ear, and notate (write) it on sheet music. It’s taken a lot of steps to get to this point, but he is excited because it's a song that he truly enjoys. What he has learned at YMU over the years has prepared him for this process. This lesson and the ones to follow will help to prepare him for his dream career, Film/TV/Video-Game Composer. This career choice will allow him to compose (create) music for movies, TV, and video games. Congratulations Joshua Adams, I believe that you can achieve your dreams! 5
Mr. Gray, YMU Instructor
LEVELED UP CONGRATULATIONS !
The follwing YMU Students passed their End of Course Assessment and Leveled Up to their next course!
DEZMOND COLLINS - YMU DRUM ESSENTIALS 1A JADEN CAMPBELL - YMU SEVENTH CHORDS JUSTIN ADAMS - YMU PIANO ESSENTIALS 1C KYLEE OTTO - YMU PIANO ESSENTIALS 2A
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Happy Birthday Braylon Ferguson - August 27th Jeremiah Spigner - august 29th *IF YOUR CHILD'S BIRTHDAY IS NOT LISTED, PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE SO THAT WE CAN ADD THEIR DOB TO THEIR PROFILE.
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Cory Cuffee
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Mr. Cuffee is a vital part of the legacy of YMU. As a former GMG, now YMU Instructor, his role was intricate as he grabbed hold of the YMU vision and ran with it! During his tenure at YMU, he was the lead Vocal Instructor, and he taught piano. He's helped to develop several students as they pursued their musical goals at YMU. Here's what he's been up to since YMU! "I left South Carolina after a few years of behavior therapy work in the Columbia area. After that, I moved to New Jersey by way of Americorps and got hired as a Dean after my year of service. I am currently in my 6th year in education and my 5th year as a Dean at Great Oaks Legacy Charter School in Newark, NJ. I feel blessed to be here, and I can honestly accredit much of my success to YMU. I am currently starting Graduate school for special education to further my efforts to become a behavior analyst. All the while, I've still been directing choirs at church, performing whenever I can, and currently working on an EP. YMU gave me the essential skills I needed to work with youth in the classroom. Two of the greatest learning experiences I've had as an instructor at YMU are learning how to script out lesson plans and getting that direct coaching from my leaders. Now I'm comfortable giving and receiving feedback as a leader at my school, and I have the experience to coach others on their delivery of instruction. My most memorable moments, however, were having the opportunity to create and perform with my students. There was no better feeling than seeing them produce quality work. That feeling still drives my work today and helps me bring joy into our school community. That is the most rewarding thing I've gained from YMU!!! My message to the young, brilliant minds of YMU is: 1. Dare to be great. 2. Challenge yourself to be greater. 3. Set realistic goals and start checking boxes. 4. Value your education and never stop learning. 5. Get to know yourself and ENJOY being YOU..... there's no one else like you! 6. Be grateful for every winning moment; and thankful for what you have. 7. If you remember nothing else, please keep in mind that you have a purpose, and if that purpose is music, follow the music. Blessings!" 9
In-Person or Online Instruction
ENROLL IN OUR DRUM PROGRAM NOW AND RECEIVE A COMPLEMENTARY DRUM PAD STARTER KIT FOR STUDENTS AGES 7-18!
1-844-YMU-NOW-1 803-728-3399 www.ymunow.com
YMU BRINGS DIGITAL BEATS TO SC SUMMER CAMP YMU Instructor, Kierra Gray, recently got the opportunity to teach a virtual Digital Beats Class to an SC summer camp and shared her experience: "Each week, I met with the students and taught them how to make beats. We talked about what a beat is, the 4 parts of a beat, and techniques to grab and keep a listener's attention. We also talked about how Science, Math, and ELA relate to music. The students learned different rhythms and enjoyed doing music math. We talked about sound waves and how vibrations help us hear music. We even dived into songwriting and learned the basic structure of a song. My favorite part of this experience though was starting each class with a review of what the students had learned so far. The amount of information that kids can remember is honestly astounding. I think it's easy to forget how intelligent our students are because of their age, but teaching this class was a good reminder that a child can learn anything if you deliver it to them in a way they understand. And this goes beyond music. I try to teach my students other important soft skills during class as well. If they turn in a music theory assignment that's not 100% correct, we'll go over it in class and I'll have them tell me what they did incorrectly and they'll correct it. This teaches them that it's okay to make mistakes, but it's also okay to correct them. I loved seeing the growth in my Digital Beats students. It inspired me to keep teaching. At the end of each class before saying "Bye!" they would say "Thank you!!" This showed me how uniquely powerful the impact of music is. Not every kid is going to become the next great legend, but music may inspire them to start a band that teaches them discipline. Or it may inspire them to help pay for college with a music scholarship. You honestly never know. Regardless though, I want to say thank you to the students at Universal Leadership and Stem Academy! You reminded me that simply teaching a music class can still make a powerful impact.
YMU
Contact us below for information on how your school or organization can partner with YMU.
1-844-YMU-NOW-1 INFO@THEYOUNGMUSICIANSUNIVERSITY.COM WWW.YMUNOW.COM
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CONFESSIONS OF A MUSIC MOM: Moutain High, Valley Low By: Mrs. Gray
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If you have ever been on a journey, I am sure that
would revisit our goals and look at the big picture,
you have learned that it's not always a straight
the "why" behind what she was doing. Doing this
shot. But that there are winding roads, highs, and
helped my daughter realize that the challenge
lows, and challenges are inevitable. Your child's
she was facing would not last always and that
musical journey happens the same way. As your
she should not make a permanent decision
child progresses, you will find them on the
based upon a temporary situation. So parents,
mountain top, where everything is going their way.
make sure that your child understands the "why"
During these high moments, you will find that they
behind what they are doing. This will help your
are practicing independently and are easily
child see beyond the immediate challenges and
grasping the information. However, there will be
understand that challenges are all a part of the
times, where your child will find themself in the
musical journey. They will begin to realize that as
valley. In the valley, things become challenging,
they overcome these challenges they get closer
and it takes extra effort for them to progress.
to achieving their goals! If I could be honest with
During this time, your child can lose motivation,
you, this lesson wasn't always easy for me to learn
stop practicing on their own, and it may even
as a parent. Sometimes it just seemed easier to
seem as though they have lost interest altogether.
allow her to quit and move on to the next thing.
What do you do when your child's musical journey
However, when I began to see it transcend into
takes them from the mountain top to the valley
other areas of my daughter's life outside of music,
low? One of the keys to our daughter's successful
I began to see how valuable this principle was!
musical journey was to keep our eyes on the big
She was learning to persevere through challenges,
picture. When we faced challenging moments, we
and that in itself was priceless!
ANNUAL YMU CHRISTMAS RECITAL
SAVE THE DATE DECEMBER 11, 2021 • 2PM
A Hybrid Recital
LITTLE music
Essentials
In-Person Piano Class with an Award-Winning Curriculum designed for ages 4-6 Imaginative Live Instruction Custom Interactive Games
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THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S UNIVERSITY
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The Young Musician's University
2003
2021
