Why one Greensboro family believes it is vital to invest in music education

In the 42-year history of The Music Academy, 2023 is a year to remember! Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to solidify our roots in this fantastic community by purchasing our building at 1327 Beaman Place. The surplus of gifts and pledges will be used to make improvements to the facility and start an endowment to maintain the building.

Before our move to this location in 1997, we had three other temporary homes in Greensboro. As we grew, we needed to find a space that fit our needs as a dynamic music school. Our building has a performance hall, a smaller recital area, a piano group classroom, a large family room, staff offices, and 31 studios. The best part is that we have room to grow even more!

We received a remarkable gift of $800,000 from the Murphy family, which helped us surpass our capital campaign goal to buy our building. Pam Murphy, Robert Bruce Murphy, Leslie Murphy, and Meredith Murphy Fisher contributed to this generous donation so that we could put our resources toward our mission without having a monthly rent burden.

Pam Murphy has served on the board of directors at MANC since 2008. She kicked off the capital campaign in 2022 with a substantial gift. With her continued support, and the entire board’s diligence and contributions, our dream of having a permanent home became a reality.

Pam believes in our board of directors because each person has specific talents and strengths that they bring to the table. She’s impressed that everyone works together to “keep all these balls dancing in the air.” This discipline to work hard and collaborate is predominant in music education and one of the many reasons she is compelled to support MANC.

“I think it's necessary. The arts, that's something that I think nourishes the soul and can change people's lives,” Pam said about why it’s important to give back.

She has seen the healing effects of music therapy and watched people emotionally moved through song. She also believes that music can soften some of the ugliness in the world. “As long as we've got music, there’s hope.”

In addition, being in a band or a chorus can teach you to work together and embrace cooperation, and that is an important aspect of everyday living. Pam knows that practicing a craft, like playing an instrument or singing, takes discipline. And learning discipline will benefit an individual whether they pursue music or take a different path in life.

There are a lot of important organizations to support. Why is music paramount to the Murphy family? “I guess it’s just in my DNA,” Pam stated. Her family has always been involved and appreciative of music and theater. And they wanted to ensure that it was available to everyone.

Pam is thankful to be blessed, and she’s happy to be able to bestow those blessings on others. She feels it is important to share your talents, whether they are creative or financial. “You know how they say ‘to those who have been given much, much is expected’? I believe that,” Pam said.

The Murphy family has owned and operated Mother Murphy’s, a food flavoring business in Greensboro, since 1946. Pam worked there for 25 years and grew up in a family of business people. So when considering where to put their money, they looked to a viable organization. It needed to be sensible and successful as well as sincere and passionate. The Music Academy fit the bill.

We are passionate about quality music education and that drives our desire to share it with others. How do we do that?

• We embrace students of all ages, interests, abilities, and backgrounds.
• We bring musical development to our community through outreach designed to remove barriers and give access to all.
• We inspire the creative potential within our students through private music lessons, groups, ensembles, and workshops.
• We celebrate our students’ hard work through showcase recitals and opportunities to perform within the community.
• We invest in highly qualified faculty with a wealth of experience in performance and education.
• We encourage individuals to discover, develop, realize, and express their inherent talents.

On Saturday, we celebrated owning our building and the community of donors who made that possible. Our faculty led a jazz workshop that was followed by several of our merit scholar students performing. There’s no better way to acknowledge this gift than by filling our space with music.

We honored the Murphy family’s generosity through the dedication of the “Murphy Music Building”. We are thrilled to call 1327 Beaman Place our home. It’s an exciting time for the Academy as we look toward new programs that we can pursue now that we don’t have a monthly rent or mortgage payment. It enables us to focus on our core values, like public outreach, student scholarships, and partnerships in our community. 

We plan to continue providing opportunities for all to access music education while sharing our love of music with our vibrant community. The belief in our mission and significant investment in our future has breathed new life into the Academy. We look ahead with hope, excitement, and the ability to dream bigger!