We are Hampton Roads' only independent non-profit community music school that is accredited by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. Our mission is to provide quality instruction to the residents of Hampton Roads, regardless of their ability to pay. Founded in 1991, The Academy of Music offers private and group instruction for most instruments and voice. Our instructors are highly trained professionals and include members of the Virginia Symphony and other leading ensembles.

The Academy provides funding for students enrolled in private study who could not otherwise afford music lessons. This year, some 250 students will receive music instruction at little or no cost to themselves through partial or full scholarships or thanks to grant-supported outreach programs and presentations. In 2000, The Academy of Music was fully certified by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts after meeting its rigorous evaluation criteria.

The Guild provides leadership and advocacy for some 300 schools of the arts across the country, sets quality standards and promotes public awareness of the value of arts education. The Academy is one of only two fully certified schools in Virginia.

Highlights and features

Harp, Strings, Horn, Bass, Cello, Music Theory, Viola, Clarinet, Violin, Drums, Organ, Voice, Fiddle, Flute, Piano, Guitar, Saxophone

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Dennis Auth

Guitar And Beginner Bass

As a student of jazz at an early age, Dennis now enjoys over 30 years’ experience performing and teaching various genres including rock, R&B, traditional gospel, and contemporary worship. He currently teaches private students across the Tidewater area.

Rachel Ruth Crumbly

Piano

Mrs. Crumbly's teachers include Daniel Paul Horn, Louis Nagel, Joanne Smith, and Kelley Benson. While a student, she was awarded the William Phemister prize in piano and the Joanne A. Smith prize in Piano Pedagogy. Mrs. Crumbly was a full-time lecturer in the pedagogy department at the University of Michigan, where she began her teaching career. She has performed extensively as both soloist and collaborator, and has worked locally with other soloists and groups such as the Virginia Chorale and Virginia Symphony Chorus.

Carol Thomas Downing

Violin, Fiddle, Recorder

Ms. Downing is an experienced violinist, singer, children's choral director and an avid Celtic & Old-time fiddler. She has trained young musicians from preschool through the university level. She specializes in teaching ages 5 - adult, Suzuki Violin Books 1 - 7, and beginning through advanced fiddling. Her teachers include Berl Senofsky (violin) and Ruth Drucker (voice). Ms. Downing is former faculty member and chairperson of the Musicianship Department at the Peabody Preparatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she taught violin, musicianship and chorus.

Rebecca Gilmore

Cello

Her teachers include Janos Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Norman Fischer and Desmond Hoebig. Ms. Gilmore is currently a faculty member with The Academy of Music and Virginia Wesleyan College. She is an orchestral and chamber musician, and is currently Acting Assistant Principal Cello with The Virginia Symphony.

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