Harmonizing Dreams: The Will Witten Scholarship and SAMA's Musical Journey
Music 4 Life Blues 4 the Soul, in partnership with Guitar San Antonio and San Antonio Music Academy, created a scholarship in honor of avid guitarist and Army veteran Will Witten. The scholarship has provided an entire year of private guitar lessons and a guitar for 10 lucky students who fit the application profile of active military, military veterans, or children of veterans.
San Antonio Music Academy (SAMA), located on the far west side of San Antonio, Texas, was founded in 2010 with the mission to ignite creativity, nurture talent, and encourage growth. SAMA's founder and director, Roland Guerrero, started the company in January of 2010 while studying as a music major at the University of Texas San Antonio. Roland, who at that time had been working as a private guitar instructor himself, wanted to bring the joy of music he witnessed in his own students to more people with the help of other passionate, educated musicians.
Now in its 14th year, SAMA has grown from a small school with just a few instructors and students to a staff of over 20 instructors, teaching more than 700 students on a weekly basis. The music academy offers lessons for guitar, piano, drums, voice, and violin. Students come to music lessons for many different reasons. Some are learning an instrument to express their creativity or release emotions. Some are learning music that helps them feel closer to their culture. Some students are returning to a passion they once lost. Some are seeking a deeper connection to a family member musician that has passed away, whose instrument is the very instrument they bring to lessons. Some want to pursue music as a performance career or to become a music teacher themselves. And some just pick up an instrument for the pure joy of it. The purposeful experiences and growth of the students is what motivates the staff of San Antonio Music Academy. What could be more meaningful than seeing your student make the same connection with music that made you want to become a music educator in the first place?
SAMA director, Roland Guerrero, could not be more proud of his staff, both instructors and administrators, for the impact they have had on the lives of the students. He considers it a great privilege to witness the growth the students have experienced through their time in lessons at the academy. San Antonio Music Academy takes its role of educating sincerely and aspires to make a lasting impact in the lives of its students for many years to come.
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