A Rockford music school is taking its educational efforts outside of its four walls.
Laura Eakman, the executive director of the Music Academy in Rockford, said the school wanted to meet people where they are.
“So many people come, and they say, ‘I didn't even know this existed, I didn't know that this building was even here,’ you know, and we're kind of hard to find,” she explained. “So, we want to be more of a community resource. And in order to do that people need to know that we’re here and that we’re friendly.”
She said most people aren’t aware of what the academy offers.
“Rockford is a beautiful community that is struggling in some ways,” she said. “And one of those ways is with music education, I think, and the public schools are doing such a wonderful job, you know, all around, but they're struggling in their orchestra programs too.”
Eakman said the goal of the “Music Academy Leave the Building” is to go into places that the academy’s students don’t often come from. A few Rockford Public Schools will be on the list for the visits. The first visit takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 2 at the Discovery Center. The last one will take place on April 1st. Eakman said the academy plans to continue this type of outreach even after this project ends. More details can be found on the academy’s website.
This project is funded by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.
