SW.ChoiceAwards_031518

22ndcenturymedia.com Southwest Choice Awards
22nd Century Media | March 15, 2018 | 11
Allegro Music & Dance Academy helps kids shine
When Tim Veurink and
Lori Gardner first met they
were competitors. He was
the owner of the music shop
in downtown Lockport, and
she was a local piano teacher
in her home a few blocks
away. What could have
been a scene from “West
Side Story” has, however,
turned out much brighter
— a little more like “The
Sound of Music.”
The two musicians made
a harmonious effort in 2001
to form the Allegro Music
& Dance Academy. Since
then, their shared passion
for teaching the performing
arts has blossomed into
three locations (Lockport,
Lemont and Bolingbrook),
and nearly 1,000 students
gaining confidence and skill
as they study music, dance
and theatre; as well as sharing
in regular performances
on grand stages all over the
country.
“There is nothing more
exciting than seeing our
students shine on stage,”
Veurink said. “We are big
believers that each student
should experience the results
of their hard work and
effort to create a performance
piece. And one thing
we’ve discovered over the
years about kids – they love
a good, hearty round of applause.”
It’s the love of the show
that has lead Allegro to
seek out unique performing
opportunities for their
students.
“When Lori first said
she wanted to get our kids
onstage as soloists at Carnegie
Hall, I thought she was
crazy,” Veurink said. “As it
turns out, crazy turned into
amazing and one year later,
our students realized her
dream of an Allegro concert
at Carnegie Hall—with 50
students from age 5-25.”
Since then, Allegro students
have traveled to the
original home of the Grand
Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium
in Nashville. This
summer, 50 music and
dance students will take the
stage at the Kennedy Center
in Washington, D.C.
“Each performance
shows us what is possible
with our students,” Gardner
said. “You never know what
a child’s potential is until
you give them the ultimate
opportunity to bring their ‘A
game.’
“We structure every lesson,
every class – whether
it’s piano, ballet, hip hop,
or theatre — to inspire them
to achieve even more than
they think is possible. In
that process of seeing them
grow, our students and their
families become part of our
Allegro family.”
Allegro teaches students
of all ages. Music lessons
available in Lockport,
Bolingbrook and Lemont
include piano, guitar, voice,
drums, ukulele, violin, saxophone,
trumpet, clarinet,
and tuba. Dance classes in
ballet, jazz, lyrical and hiphop
are available in Lockport
and Lemont. Summer
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camps for ages 5-14 are
available as well as theatre
productions and drama
classes for kids in first
through eighth grade.
Submitted by Allegro Music
& Dance Academy, 1014 S.
Hamilton St., Lockport. For
more locations or information,
call (877) 853-2763.
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