Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Commemorates One Year of Faith Music Academy
September 2, 2021
ANKENY, Iowa—A crowd of approximately 30 people filled the Domokos Hall conference room on Thursday, August 26, as members of the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce joined administration, faculty, staff, students, and friends of Faith Baptist Bible College for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate one year of the Faith Music Academy.
The Faith Music Academy began last fall under the direction of Mrs. Sherri Nicholson. The mission of the Faith Music Academy is to develop musicians of all ages within a biblical worldview.
Nicholson is excited about the direction of the academy and is pleased with the results from year one.
“I’m humbled to be able to shepherd these students,” said Nicholson. “I love them, and I want to see them do well and get experience. I am so honored that we have a community like Ankeny where there is demand, and parents who are looking for great teachers who are committed to the Lord as well.”
This fall, four students from Faith Baptist Bible College will be offering lessons through the academy. Logan Scheps, a senior, offers piano lessons and saw many benefits from teaching during the first year.
“It would be great to see the academy continue to grow,” said Logan. “The more students in the community there are who want to receive lessons, the more experience we get as teachers.”
Another student who is excited to teach for a second consecutive year is Emma Pedersen, who teaches voice lessons and is also a senior in the Music Education program. Pedersen views her experience through the academy as invaluable.
“As a music education major, it’s been really neat to get opportunities to teach and see what it’s like to have students,” said Emma. “If I want to have a private voice studio someday, I’m already getting experience teaching while also having people help me with the administrative side of it.”
Joining Scheps and Pedersen as teachers this fall are Allison Yuan (piano) and Cesar Gutierrez (violin). You can view complete bios on all four teachers here.
The academy offers lessons to all ages and for all abilities. Thirty-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute lessons are all available, and payments can be made monthly or by semester. Mrs. Nicholson believes an investment in music is a gift of a lifetime.
“You can play a sport until you’re 30 or 40, but you can play an instrument, sing in the choir, play handbells, or play piano for a lifetime,” said Nicholson. “The monies that you spend investing in your child to read music or to enjoy music will be a return their entire life.”
When asked what her biggest success story was from the first year of the Faith Music Academy, Mrs. Nicholson recalled a conversation she had with a person taking lessons from Logan Scheps.
“I asked his student to speak about him as a teacher,” said Nicholson. “He said, ‘What I love about Logan is that he’s smart and kind.’ When you can see a blend of competence, skill, and gracious Christ-like character of being gentle and loving and kind, what a great compliment. If I can replicate that kind of excellence along with Christian character, that’s exactly what I’m hoping to achieve.”
Registration is now open for 2021-22, and lessons are available to all in the Ankeny community and surrounding areas. For more information, visit musicacademy.faith.edu or contact stilwella@faith.edu.