Pick-Up Notes – October Newsletter from the St. Joseph Arts Academy
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 Pick-Up Notes — The Monthly Newsletter from the St. Joseph Arts Academy |
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| Letter from the Director |
| October at the St. Joseph Arts Academy |
| Dear SJAA Students and Families, October is here, and somehow the year is already moving into its final stretch! First, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the Concert to Benefit Tyler Osborn such a success. So many SJAA students, families, teachers, friends, and community members showed up to play, volunteer, donate, attend, or simply support the day. Together, we helped raise more than $15,000 for Tyler and his family. That is something to be proud of. It is another great example of what happens when musicians and our community come together to support one another. Thank you for being part of it. We have plenty of fun ahead this month, including Mall-o-ween at the mall, and of course Halloween! We hope everyone has a safe, happy, and fun Halloween. October is also a great month for musicians to check in on their routines. The excitement of a new school year has settled down, and now is a good time to make sure practice is still part of the weekly schedule. You don’t have to practice for hours every day to make progress. Consistency matters. A little focused practice, listening carefully, working on the things your teacher has assigned, and occasionally playing something simply because you enjoy it can go a long way. And don’t forget to give yourself credit for the work you’re doing. Learning music takes time. Keep showing up, keep learning, and keep moving forward. Before we know it, we’ll be in the holiday season. Thanksgiving is a big deal around here because gratitude is a big deal to us. We have a lot to be thankful for at SJAA—our students, families, teachers, friends, and the opportunity to make music together every week. Then Christmas will be here before we know it, followed by the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027. The calendar may be moving quickly, but there is still plenty of time to make the most of these final months. Holiday recitals and other seasonal opportunities are ahead, and we’re looking forward to lots of music and fun throughout November and December. I also want to thank everyone for your patience as we made the transition to our new NOTO system in September. Change always brings a few challenges, and we appreciate everyone rolling with us as we learn, adjust, and get everything dialed in. Our goal is to keep improving the Academy and make things better for our teachers, students, and families. Thank you for your patience, your encouragement, and most of all, for being part of the SJAA community. Let’s finish 2026 strong! Jason & SJAA Jason Riley, Director — jason@stjosephartsacademy.com | Call/Text: 816-974-7656 | |
FEATURED REVIEWI have been a violin student for 3 ½ years. This is a great studio for all ages. I’m an adult student & am challenged to play difficult music. I truly enjoy my lessons & look forward to them every week. — Norma J.  |
| Student of the Month |
| Jayson M! We are so lucky to have Jayson and his family with us at the SJAA! Jayson is in 3rd grade at Minnie Cline Elementary. In his free time he loves to be outside camping, playing with friends and riding his bike, scooter, or skateboard. He also enjoys playing football, basketball and baseball. He also is know to spend an afternoon playing games on his switch. He has always been drawn to music and loves to sing, play guitar, and wanting to learn more instruments in the future. We’ll celebrate Jayson with a gift card! Thank you for referring your friends and family to the Academy. Congratulations! To be considered for Student of the Month, talk to your teacher about your musical and extracurricular activities, share pictures, and refer fellow musicians to the academy! |
| Pet of the Month |
| Ticho! |
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Thank you to Ms. Anna for sharing a photo of your sweet fur baby! Each month, SJAA selects a pet to feature — and a donation is made to Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter in honor of all our local pets in need. Share a favorite photo of your pet — they could be next!  Bring on those adorable snapshots! |
Birthdays of the Month Happy Birthday to our incredible students and families celebrating this month!  Ed P | Ken S | Macie M | Peyton H | Sunny A | Mrs. Jo Mr. Holmes | Eva M | Ethan B | McCoy B | Zoe M | Paisley A | Russell C Let your teacher know your birthday so we can celebrate you! |
Welcome New Students! We’re so excited to welcome these new musicians into the SJAA family!  Midna M | DeeAnne K | Davian C | Samuel F | Henley P | Kassem H Reagan G | Madisol M | Greg S | Rhett C | Sullivan C We’re so glad you’re here — welcome to the Academy! |
| Early Childhood Music Classes Music is magic at any age — especially the earliest ones! Our Early Childhood Music Classes are designed for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers (ages infant–5 yrs). Interactive, joyful, and developmentally enriching — these classes spark a lifelong love of music right from the start. Know a family with little ones? Share the gift of music — refer them today! |
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| Local Band Hosts Benefit Concert for Musician Battling Rare Form of Cancer ST. JOSEPH, Mo (KQTV) — A benefit musical concert was put on by local band “Under the Influence,” a philanthropic effort to raise money for Tyler Osborn, a local musician diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.Doctors describing his case as an “extraordinarily rare form of malignancy, estimated to occur at a rate of only about one in a billion cases.”Osborn has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and additional treatments and surgeries are planned in the future.To help with his treatment costs, local musicians and his friends from Under the Influence rallied to create a benefit concert featuring eight hours of live music, a raffle, and other efforts to raise money for their friend.Already, thousands of dollars have been raised through his GoFundMe, and a strong outpouring of support from hundreds of St. Joseph residents has helped as well.”Tyler is a special guy, and he touched a lot of people’s lives through his music,” said Kevin Schneider, an organizer and member of Under the Influence. “He was a teacher in an area school for a number of years, and he’s a photographer now. He really touches people with his art. It makes me feel really good to see people come out and support him.” |
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| Guitar Strings are NOW Buy 1 Get 1 FREE for only $12! |
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| Guess How Much Candy is in the Cup!Think you can guess how many candies are in the cup? Take a close look before or after your lesson! Write down your name and your closest guess without going over for a chance to win the cup! |
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| Please Review our 2026/27 Lesson Policy!!! |
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| Sept. 30 Day Practice Challenge Winner!A big CONGRATS to Mr. Thorne K. in Ms. Addy and Mr. Brent’s studio! In September, Thorne practiced a total of 970 minutes! |
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| Refer a Friend to the SJAA!Referral CONTEST!One of the ways that your STUDIO is able to GROW is by enrolling GREAT students JUST LIKE YOU! |
| Student Celebrations Every month we love to shine a spotlight on the amazing accomplishments of our SJAA students. Whether it’s a first recital, a new song mastered, a school honor, or a personal milestone — every achievement matters! Amala G — First Recital Certificate Ivy S — First Recital Certificate Robert R — First Recital Certificate Porter F — First Recital Certificate Eloise L — First Recital Certificate Rachel K — First Recital Certificate Talk to your teacher about your accomplishments — we’d love to celebrate you in next month’s newsletter! |
| Does Your Teacher Have Openings? Private lesson spots are limited with our amazing coaching faculty. Check availability below and refer a friend before their spot is gone! |
 Addy Gabriel — Waiting List Alex Rowen — Thursday 5:30pm Andrew Holmes — Tuesday 4pm Anthony Glise — Waiting List Brett Wootton — Waiting List Brent Isom — Wednesday 6pm Claire Gerhardt — Waiting List Garrett Branson — Thursday 3pm Jack Wing — Wednesday 4:30pm Jason Riley — Tuesday 4pm Jolie Riley — Waiting List David Parker — Virtual Only Marina Gurnovich — Tuesday 5:30pm Tarquin Kellough — Monday 5:30pm Terry Brock — Waiting List Michael Fuson — Saturday 10:30am Hannah Gale — Saturday 12pm Mark Pennington — Thursday 2pm |
| Upcoming Calendar Mark your calendars and don’t miss a beat! Here’s what’s coming up at SJAA and in our community: |
| October 202610/10 — InspireU SJAA Second Saturdays, 1-4pm10/10 — Ms. Addy’s Fall Recital, 2pm, SJAA Recital Room10/24 — SJAMTA “Mall-o-ween” Recitals 2pm or 3:30pm, East Hills Mall November 202611/1 — “Notes of Gratitude” SJAA Thank You Card Giveaway Begins!11/1 — “30 Day Practice Challenge” Begins!11/14 — InspireU SJAA Second Saturdays, 1–4pm11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving!! (SJAA is Closed) December 202612/12 — InspireU SJAA Second Saturdays, 1-4pm12/12 — SJAMTA Holiday “Mall-a-thon” 11-2pm, East Hills Mall12/25 — Merry Christmas!! (SJAA is Closed) View the full calendar at stjosephartsacademy.com/calendar |
| Academy Notes Monthly TuitionMonthly tuition for private lessons (30-minute weekly sessions) is $116. Questions? Review our Lesson Policy here. TeacherZone Student PortalManage your lessons, track progress, and stay connected through our online platform: app.teacherzone.com Free Wi-Fi at SJAAThanks to United Fiber, enjoy free Wi-Fi at the academy! Password: MusicAccomplished We Also Offer…Discounts on music books & accessories, instrument rentals, and rental space for birthday parties and special events. Explore all our services → |
What We Teach Northwest Missouri’s largest music school — offering quality instruction for over 30 years. Private lessons in: Guitar | Piano | Violin & Cello | Drums & Percussion |  Voice & Singing | Ukulele Trumpet |  Banjo & Mandolin | Bass (Acoustic, Upright & Electric) | Steel Pan Art Classes | Online Music Lessons |  Early Childhood Classes | Group Guitar & Ukulele All musical styles. All ages. Never too young or too old to start. |
| Our Mission Our mission at the St. Joseph Arts Academy is to provide the highest quality musical instruction and performance opportunities to beginning and advancing students in the Midland Empire. We use our patience, enthusiasm and loyalty to encourage, inform and inspire others to happily share their skill and talent in love and gratitude to make the world a better place. |