Celebrating 20 Years

Since 2004, Dawson Music Academy has enjoyed the privilege of connecting with students and families in our community. As we start the beginning of our 20th school year, we’re celebrating our students and teachers who are part of our special story. Whether you’re a current student, a former student, or a future student, we invite you to celebrate with us. Happy 20th Anniversary!

Our Story

It all started at the beginning of 2004. Samford graduate Layla Humphries had a passion for sharing the joy of music and also a dream of creating a place for musicians of all ages to expand their musical talents. As a talented violinist and visionary teacher, Layla had observed first hand the amazing benefits of private music lessons. From fostering self-expression, to building confidence, to providing joy, music has a unique way of bringing people together.

With Dawson’s centralized location in a community of schools known for their excellent music education, creating a music school on Dawson’s campus seemed like a wonderful idea. In addition to the surrounding community of musicians, Dawson’s music ministry, under Dr. Bob Hatfield’s leadership as Minister of Music, included hundreds of musicians joining together to sing, play, and lead in Sunday worship each week. From the youngest preschooler to the oldest senior adult, there was a place for people of all ages to plug in and invest their musical talents.

In addition to vocal music, Dawson’s Sanctuary Orchestra provided an opportunity for instrumentalists to share their talents. As a member of that group, Layla knew there was an interest from musicians of all ages who desired to expand their musical talents.

Focused on the goal of sharing the joy of music while also providing musical resources to both community residents and Dawson members, the vision for the Academy began to take form. After much planning and dreaming, in August of 2004, Layla and Bob together with the support of the Dawson Family of Faith, launched the ministry of Dawson Music Academy. Since the beginning, the Academy has created a place for musicians of all ages to explore their musical talents while also experiencing the joy of music. Today, that same vision continues under the leadership of Academy Director, Kimberly Jones.

Our Celebrations

As we reflect on the past 20 years, there are many exciting things to celebrate. With participants taking lessons in over 20 different instruments (piano, flute, trombone, violin, cello, drums, guitar, voice, and more), we’ve connected with over 3,500 students and celebrated with each one as they accomplish new musical goals. That’s pretty amazing!

Our student population ranges from students age 4 years old to 74 years old, and has a wide range of musical goals. We think that’s awesome. Our goal is never to design every lesson the same or to listen to all students playing the same songs. Instead, we believe the beauty of private music lessons lies within the opportunity to customize lessons to each student’s individual interests and abilities.

Because we value the opportunity to come alongside students to help them meet their unique musical goals, if you stroll through the hallways on any give afternoon, you’ll hear a variety of musical styles. Some voice students are preparing a song for an upcoming show choir audition or polishing a solo they’ll perform at an upcoming show choir contest. Several band students are working to fine tune selections for next week’s school placement band auditions or finalizing technique selections for All State Band requirements.

Other students are playing classical favorites such as Vivaldi’s violin concertos or Bach’s famous piano inventions. Some students are receiving coaching for a song they’ll share in worship this Sunday. Whatever the age of the student and whatever the style of music, our goal remains the same: share the joy of music and provide the insights needed to accomplish musical goals.

While it’s impossible to list the name of each student that has been a part of our program for the past 20 years, we want each and every student to know how extremely proud we are of your amazing musical progress. We know that numbers don’t tell the entire story, but they do capture some benchmarks that we think are worth celebrating.

Since 2004, we’ve hosted over 300 recitals, cheered on over 5,600 student performances, and taught over 150,000 lessons. We’ve celebrated with 179 students who were selected for All-State Orchestra/Band. We’ve applauded 392 piano players who have attended Piano Federation Festivals and received excellent scores from adjudicators. We’ve cheered on over 300 students who have taken their musical talents to their school talent show and experienced huge success. Congrats to each of you. We’re so very proud of you!

We love sharing the joy of music with the community throughout the year, but especially at Christmas time. An annual Christmas highlight for our students is hosting Christmas concerts at retirement homes in our community. In 20 years, our students have played 988 Christmas carols and brought smiles to thousands of faces of retirement home residents as we spread Christmas cheer.

In addition to private lessons, one of our favorite music adventures occurs each summer in July when we host over 250 preschool and elementary campers for our annual Summer Music Camp. Since 2004, we’ve connected with 2,375 campers who have explored new musical skills, enjoyed team spirit games, and celebrated God’s faithfulness during daily Worship Rally. Similarly, through our Ignite Student Bands, we’ve coached over 84 students in elementary, middle school, and high school and rejoiced as students have grown in musical skills as well as worship leadership opportunities. Watching students grow in their musical gifts is one of our favorite things to do. In fact, it’s the reason we do what we do.

There’s not enough space in this post to share all of the amazing stories of our teachers and students. Countless lives have been impacted by the power of music and there are numerous stories of young musicians who have grown up to be music teachers, worship leaders, symphony players, and much more. And we’re just getting started. We eagerly look ahead to the future joy of connecting with musicians of all ages for many years to come.

Our Gratitude

Thank you for being part of Dawson Music Academy and for allowing us the privilege of serving you. Celebrating 20 years is an exciting benchmark. A special thanks to those of you who have been with us from the beginning. Thank you for believing in our vision and for joining with us. We value each student who has been part of our story, whether for 6 months or 10 years, and we join with you to celebrate your unique musical interests. The phrase “we’ve got talent” definitely describes our amazing students. Congratulations on accomplishing your musical goals!

As many of you know, our Academy teachers are truly the best teachers in Birmingham. Without their stellar leadership, we would not be here today. We’re extremely grateful for each of our teachers, both current faculty and previous faculty, who have wholeheartedly invested their time, talents, and energy to support student success. Thank you for helping us share the joy of music in a Christ-centered environment. As a vital ministry of Dawson Family of Faith, you connect with students and families in powerful ways as you represent Christ.

Since the beginning of Dawson Music Academy in 2004, a focus of our Academy has been sharing the joy of music. It is truly a joy to share the gift of music with our students, their families, and our community. Thank you for giving us that honor.

Contributor Kimberly Jones is a wife, mother, and the Director of the Dawson Music Academy at the Dawson Family of Faith.