Rebekah Heller, VIA Academy Guest Speaker; Summer 2020
Founder/Co-Artistic Director of VIA Academy - Christopher Robinson
VIA offers under-resourced students access to instrumental skill training and broader outlooks on their future career decisions; while focusing on the purpose of classical music in culture and community. VIA Academy gives under-resourced youth, ages 13-18, access to high-quality music education all across the US. The academy will offer an approach to music education that is focused on the dreams and aspirations of the students, allowing students' ambitions to shape their further development and careers. VIA Academy will widen the perspectives that exist within a career in music and not limit students to one focus area. Our program will provide students with a continued support system during and after involvement with the program through career mentors and teaching artists. VIA Academy’s curriculum will show students how to build communities, entrepreneurial skills, explore career paths, networking, gaining financial support, mental/physical wellness, and heighten instrumental skills among many others. Our goal as an academy is to truly empower students that have been historically underserved through a re-envisioned outlook on what an inclusive music education can be to further evolve the classical music profession.