Vol. 2 Issue 6 | A PUBLICATION OF THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S UNIVERSITY
DAVID VANDELAY YMU ALUM SPOTLIGHT
HOW MUSIC CONTRIBUTES TO A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION
YMU INSTRUCTOR TRIBUTES SONG TO DADS
The Young Musician's University
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IN THIS ISSUE DIRECTOR'S NOTE
The Young Musician's University celebrates 19 years of Giving the Gift of Music to thousands of students through music education, after-school programming, summer camps, and community events! Thank you for reading The YMU Collective as we highlight YMU Students, Staff, and other subjects of interest. 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. I hope that you enjoy this publication of the YMU Collective!
Mrs. Gray Director, The Young Musician's University
6 Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2022 Featuring Special Messages From Loved Ones
14 Happy Father's Day Dad You Are, a Father's Day Tribute
16 YMU Alum Spotlight David Vandelay
20 Meet Two YMU Sisters Gabrielle and Katherine Lloyd 3
ADRYAN ROFF - SNARE DRUM ESSENTIALS 1A
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Liam Wallace - June 15th Joshua Campbell - June 28th Jaden Campbell - June 28th
*If your child's birthday is not listed, please contact the office so that we can add their DOB to their student profile.
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CLASS OF
Congratulations to all of our YMU students who have graduated! We are so proud of you and here's a special message from your family! 6
Gabrielle Lloyd
Gabrielle graduated from Elementary School (5th Grade)
"Gabby, congratulations on maintaining honor roll throughout elementary school. Your discipline and dedication has paid off!" - LOVE, YOUR FAMILY
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Katherine Lloyd
Katherine graduated from Pre-K
"Kasey, congratulations on exceeding academic standards throughout your pre-K magnet program. On to kindergarten and greater accomplishments!" - LOVE, YOUR FAMILY
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Liam Wallace
Liam graduated from Elementary School (5th Grade)
"Congratulations, Liam! You worked hard all through elementary school. You learned a lot and were a kind friend, and we are very proud of you. We know you will do great in the Leadership Academy magnet program at Muller Road!" - LOVE, YOUR FAMILY
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Noah Jones
Noah will be attending the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business to study International Business and study abroad. "Noah, your name was chosen from Numbers 27 in the Bible. You are living up to it. This is your inheritance. Noah Latrelle Jones I am so very proud of you! I know it is a cliché, but the world is truly your oyster. You have overcome so many obstacles. You remained focused and brave through them all. Let your light shine bright. Do not change who you are and what you have to offer. God put greatness in you. You are blessed and highly favored. You are sweet, talented, creative, and ambitious. Explore and conquer your dreams. Have fun. Be excited for, happy about, and proud of yourself. I am! I love you Noah! Have a great college experience!" - LOVE, YOUR FAMILY
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Tierra Ingram
Tierra will be attending North Carolina A&T University majoring in computer science.
"Tierra I am so proud of the young lady you're becoming. You've conquered your first obstacle. Always remember, you can do anything you put your mind to. Reach for the stars always." - LOVE, YOUR FAMILY
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Tylin White
After high school Tylin plans to attend Midlands Technical College to pursue a degree in Business. After a year there he will transfer to a four year institution of his choice.
"Congratulations Tylin on this great milestone. Good luck with all of your future endeavors. We love you and are so proud of you." - LOVE, YOUR FAMILY
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HAPPY TO OUR EVERYDAY SUPERHEROS!
Listen to "Dad You Are," a special tribute to all the amazing dads written by YMU Instructor, Kierra Gray.
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EXCLUSIVE FATHER'S DAY SALE Enjoy 15% off the YMU Dad T-Shirt ENTER THE CODE "DADS" UPON CHECKOUT.
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YMU ALUM SPOTLIGHT
David Vandelay 16
David Vandelay is a YMU Alumn who participated in the piano, guitar, drums, and voice programs. He is now 16 years old and a rising Senior at the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, focusing on Vocal Performance. David is the lead musician of David Vandelay & Co, a Columbia band that performs for restaurants, country clubs, and private parties. To date, the band has performed over 50 paid gigs. You can see video performances of David's original music and cover songs at Facebook.com/DavidVandelayAndCo. The band is part of Vandelay Music, a Limited Liability Company, based on a business plan created by David and his father.
MEET DAVID VANDELAY David is not only the lead vocalist for his band, but he also rotates performing on various instruments for gigs. Playing electric piano, electric guitar, electric bass, cajon, and ukulele, he is truly a multiinstrumentalist. He also creates most of his beats and background tracks using the recording software, Logic Pro X. Most of the time his father, Dean, accompanies David on stage for gigs. Though from time to time, he has had multiple guest performers accompany him, as well as performed as a solo act. David has written over 50 pop/rock songs, of which he performs his favorites at his gigs. He is currently working to polish 6-10 of his songs in order to release them on Spotify or a similar platform. Additionally, David has used his summers to have music-related internships at local businesses, as well as attend music-related programs at top-ranked colleges, including Berklee, NYU, Miami, and Clemson. He has also toured Belmont University and MTSU, which are among the college programs he is targeting. Outside of music, David has earned a rank of Eagle Scout and has an excellent GPA and SAT score, which his parents hope will help him qualify for admission and scholarships for the colleges he desires to attend.
HOW HAS BEING A FORMER STUDENT AT YMU IMPACTED WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? "YMU gave me important foundational skills in all instruments. My parents were aware of my fascination with the piano before YMU, but it was at YMU that I first sang and played publicly. This showed my parents my singing voice and my love of live performance. While enrolled at YMU, I also picked up my first pair of drumsticks, the bass guitar, and the electric guitar. This set the stage for years of education at YMU and elsewhere on all of those instruments, as well as several others. It is safe to say that without YMU, much of my potential would not have been identified and that I would not be the musician I am today."
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YMU STUDENTS? "The first time performing publicly on any instrument can be scary. And it very likely won't go perfectly, no matter how many practice sessions you have. Just prepare as much as you can and try to enjoy the moment. You know, nobody in the audience is expecting perfection. To them, you are some kind of hero for doing what most of them cannot do, which is playing your instrument in front of a crowd. If you can play well enough to entertain them, that will leave a great impression. But if a performance does not go as well as you planned, remember that within
one minute after your performance, the audience has moved on with their lives and is honestly not focused on judging you. They're still impressed that you had so much courage and that is what they will take away from your performance, not your less-than-perfect moments. So just volunteer for as many public performances as you can on as many instruments as you can, then prepare your best, Finally, relax and enjoy whatever happens on stage. You'll find it gets easier and easier, and you'll also get better and better at the art of performing." 17
WHAT IS MUSIC ANYWAY? IT'S A FORM OF COMMUNICATION, AND THAT'S WHY I PLAY THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT I THINK - THAT I HOPE - CAN COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE.
Kenny G
The Young Musician's University 18
inspiration
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1-844-YMU-NOW-1 803-728-3399 www.ymunow.com 19
e s e h t t e me s r e t s i s YMU by Artwork Lloyd Gabrielle 20
Gabrielle and Kasey Lloyd
How Music Contributes To A Well-Rounded Education
Gabby encourages other students to pursue their dreams and passions, and explore different areas of interest to become well-rounded.
Gabrielle is 11 years old and has been a YMU piano student for 3 years now. In addition to playing music, she has maintained the honor roll throughout elementary school and won the Citizenship Award and President's Award at Lake Carolina Elementary School. Gabby loves the arts and was recently recognized as a Leading Emerging Young Artist by the Columbia Museum of Art artists and other artists. Along with music, Gabby excels at horseback riding as well! Gabby's mom said, "YMU has made Gabby a more well-rounded artist and creator."
Kasey is 5 years old and began taking piano at YMU last year. YMU has encouraged Kasey to take on new brave adventures even when she feels scared. Playing the piano was her first adventure in the creative arts. Kasey is continuing to grow in creative arts by engaging in art camps and horseback riding lessons. Kasey's advice to other students is to try new things, even when you're afraid.
For more information on how music helps students achieve a wellrounded education, click here.
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