Hurrah for the Red, White, and Blue!
Happy 4th of July,
This summer month we will all celebrate the birth of our nation in different ways, but one way that unites us deeply is song and music.
Here at the Riverside Arts Academy, we pride ourselves on mentoring and instilling community pride in our youth. We accomplish this by many methods, including encouragement, discipline, sharing perspectives relating to songs and music, and teamwork. We also share the importance of community by having master performances from musicians at the City of Riverside’s Police and Fire Departments during our summer program in July, to highlight a few. Thank you Chief of Police Larry Gonzalez and Interim Fire Chief La Wayne Hearn, who are also RAA Board Members. To our surprise this not only impacts “our kids,” but also our parents! They know Riverside Cares!
Music helps bring people together. This is a rather unique quality of music—it can connect people. This connection is emotional; when we hear The Star Spangled Banner, we feel a common sense of pride. And when we listen to God Bless the USA, it’s not uncommon to find yourself swaying in time to the beat. We need more music in schools… right?
These are just a handful of the dozens of songs that instill a sense of patriotism and pride for Americans. These are also some of the songs many people will play (or hear) during this weekend’s Fourth of July celebrations. These are songs played at sports games, official government events, and even sung in schools. They support our country’s culture and traditions. Patriotic songs have boosted our morale in times of crisis, pride in who we are, and what we represent. They carry and pass on our American identity and values to generations and they remind us of our shared bond as Americans.
Here at the Riverside Arts Academy, we carry and pass on our solid American values that remind us of the importance of our community and giving back. Shared equity through the arts is our mantra. Please join us as we celebrate Community this year at our October 21st Art of Giving Gala. We’ll celebrate our Community’s finest musicians, including the Riverside Youth Orchestra, Mariachi Juvenil de Riverside, UC Riverside, California Baptist University, La Sierra University, Cal State San Bernardino, special guests Alpin Hong, tenor Anthony Leon, our own incredible Music Director Dr. Nové Deypalan, and so many more! This will be the event of the season at the historic Fox Performing Arts Center! The kids are so excited! You can order tickets through Ticketmaster or become a sponsor today! Just contact our office at 951-266-5540 or Info@RiversideArtsAcademy.com.
We celebrate community everyday by bringing everyone together, regardless of your social economic status, for the sake of our children’s futures and our community!
Please take a moment and bless America. Even during these troubled times, there is nowhere else we would want to live.
Collette Lee
Founding President, Riverside Arts Academy
