After recovery from serious injury, music teacher offers to share her gift Posted: September 3, 2014 - 11:18pm By JAKE MARTIN jake.martin@staugustine Annette Danielson, a local music teacher, is a fitting example of how music can help heal the body and mind after a tragedy. In December 1998, Danielson was thrown from her daughter’s horse and suffered from severe physical and mental injury resulting in paralysis. Two years of recuperation with a neurologist left her still unable to perform many routine tasks from her past, though she was told her recovery was complete. Danielson continued rehabilitation on her own, attending water aerobics classes and re-learning to play the piano. Her efforts were intensive but therapeutic, and slowly she healed to a point where she could not only function again, but be in a position to help others. Danielson and her family moved to St. Augustine in 2005 when she was able to fully function and move around on her own strength. She said she immediately noted a lack of musical education for many children she felt needed it most. “There is tremendous opportunity in this county,” Danielson said. The St. Augustine Community School of Performing Arts began in 2006 when Danielson partnered with a local church to teach those interested in learning theater, dance, singing and playing musical instruments. It was the first experience many of the children had with making music. The aim of the nonprofit school is to provide an affordable, but quality, arts education to the community and to serve all ages and backgrounds. The school has been working with Boys & Girls Club of St. Augustine since 2009. The club now allows practice time for students in music instruction classes. Danielson and volunteers teach students vocals, piano and dancing each week during the school year. “We want to bounce off of that support and provide lessons for children who are needy and gifted and inspired,” she said. “(We) want to help them perform and keep them motivated.” Danielson rehearsed with a group of children at the Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday for a performance planned at the Moultrie Baptist Church on Oct. 10. The session included vocal lessons and dancing auditions. The most popular song practiced was Idina Menzel’s “Let it Go” from the movie “Frozen.” “We’re going to clean it up a little bit now, so it’s not just chaos and confusion,” Danielson said to the group, pleased with the enthusiasm in the first run-through. Danielson’s outreach program also works with St. Augustine Youth Services (SAYS), which provides food, shelter, care and therapeutic treatment for boys, many of whom have suffered trauma from abuse or severe neglect. Danielson is able to teach piano and vocals, but relies heavily on support from fellow musicians and the community, whether it’s providing lessons or donating instruments for the students to use. Members from the Ancient City Blues Society have become involved by volunteering their help. Dennis Fermin, a local musician, volunteered to teach flamenco guitar, and will be providing group guitar lessons Thursdays at SAYS starting this year. Danielson said Grampa’s Music, located on Anastasia Boulevard, also has been indispensable to the program. The music store has helped by donating old guitars it has repaired. The school has several performance events planned for this fall. The Ancient City Kids Day Festival on Oct. 25, held at St. Francis Field, will be a chance for students to perform on stage while giving others the opportunity to experiment. “There will be, in addition to the performances, a tent with (musical) instruments set up to give kids the opportunity to pick them up, see what they like, and for us to let the public know about the opportunity,” she said. Thanksgiving and Christmas events and performances also are planned for students participating through the outreach programs. Sometimes, she has found, it’s about more than music. Danielson said there was a boy who became upset before last year’s Thanksgiving performance but who had normally been happy at his guitar lessons. When she asked him what was wrong, the boy replied that his family had never celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas in his house. “It’s sad, but that’s what we’re dealing with,” she said. “I told him we’ll build our own tradition and we’ll celebrate together. It made a big difference for him that day.” The school does not currently receive any large grants or funding, and has relied mainly on volunteer work, donations and community support and sponsorships. Still, Danielson hopes to continue to expand and offer children more outlets for their creativity. “I want people to join,” she said. “I want it to gain traction, I want the community involved, and I want it to continue when I’m gone.” The St. Augustine Community School of Performing Arts is located at 214 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine. For information, go to sacspa.org or call 824-0664. Want to help? Call 824-0664 or check sacspa.org for information on volunteering, donations or sponsorships. From: The St Augustine Record [mailto:info@staugustine]
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 04:03:09 +0000
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