Academie Musique: Empowering youth through vocal, performing arts
By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of ACADEMIE MUSIQUE
“I knew when I was 16 years old that I wanted to be a choir and voice teacher,” said Shelley Dennis, executive director of Academie Musique. “Singing gave me a sense of belonging and purpose and I am thankful to offer that ‘safe haven’ for the children of Bell County.”
Founded in 2006, in response to a need for affordable arts education in Central Texas, Academie Musique in Temple enables and encourages young artists to hone their craft and gain valuable experience before college or professional performance. They currently reach more than 200 students a week and offer private instruction in 15 instruments including violin, viola, cello, guitar, piano, trumpet, saxophone and ukulele, just to name a few.
The Academie also offers wonderful summer musical intensive programs for children ages 5 to 18, where students learn an entire musical in a week and then perform it on the weekend. This summer, 12- to 18-year-olds are presenting the student version of “Bye, Bye, Birdie,” while the 8- to 12-year-old group is slated to perform “101 Dalmatians Kids.” For the first time, the Academie will collaborate with the Cultural Activities Center in Temple to offer a musical showcase for children age 5 to 8. The younger students experience just a taste of what musical theater is like as they learn and perform “Jammin’ in the Jungle,” a repertoire of songs based on classical literature.
Auditions for the programs are required and begin in May. The auditions are modeled after traditional auditions, where hopeful young artists must dance, sing and read to earn a part in the musical. Fortunately, the Academie’s staff teaches students how to audition, which is part of the experience.
“This is a real casting opportunity,” Dennis said. “The best auditions earn bigger parts, but everyone who auditions gets a part in the show.”
Research supporting the benefits of fine arts programs is plentiful, but she said there are significant fine arts “deserts” throughout Central Texas, where the funding and variety of programs have dried up. In addition to being the only local fine arts organization to offer orchestra, choral, voice and theater instruction, the quality of that instruction is a top priority for the Academie, which ensures teachers are compensated fairly as they inspire future generations of artists.
“Private arts instruction is highly valuable to our students, but many families simply cannot afford it,” Dennis said. “The Academie addresses this issue by providing high-quality arts instruction to students, regardless of ethnic or socioeconomic background, by offering meaningful scholarships and tuition assistance as needed. This is accomplished through the generosity of private donors and foundations, annual fundraisers, and in-kind support.”
Scholarships and tuition assistance are available to families on a case-by-case basis, affecting 36% of enrolled students in the 2024-25 year.
The Academie is available to students across Central Texas, where 42% of students enrolled do not have access to strong fine arts programming at school, according to parent surveys. In addition, the Academie has worked diligently to develop and maintain partnerships with other community arts organizations. They have strong partnerships and working relationships with the Cultural Activities Center, Temple College, Central Texas Theatre, Temple Children’s Museum, area school fine arts programs, the homeschool community and others.
Beyond preparing students for a lifelong love for and appreciation of music, the Academie fosters a sense of community and belonging for hundreds of children each year, and many of their families form abiding friendships.
After experiencing exponential growth since its founding in 2006 at Temple College, the Academie is excited to be moving to a permanent home in Temple soon. However, even before their relocation, they are excited to start a new program this fall in partnership with Temple Independent School District. This program, called TEMPO, will offer instruction on cello and violin at no cost to elementary children in North Temple schools and is being funded by the estate of Barbara Wendland. Once settled in its new home, the Academie plans to expand its musical theater classes as well as early childhood classes in the next two years.
“We are committed to training the next generation for a lifetime with music, either as professionals or as lovers of music, singing in their church choirs, performing in their local community orchestras, on the stage in local civic theaters, or as supporters of the arts as appreciative concert attendees and patrons. Our community has a rich history in the performing arts, and I am excited to be a part of the present and future musical community.”
Academie Musique
Address: 317 N. First St., Temple
Website: https://amcentex.org
Email: director@amcentex.org
Phone: 254-228-0691
