Welcome to our dozens of new AMA families! And Welcome BACK to our veteran AMA families! We thought a quick interview with Miss Ann Marie would be a fun way to kick off the season giving our new families some AMA background!
When did AMA Open? We opened our doors on March 27, 2005, inviting our community to a free week of classes during spring break! One week later, we had 90 registered students taught by 3 teachers. Of the 28 classes we offered, I taught 22 of them myself! (Here’s a great post about our studio’s opening.)
Why did you open AMA? I knew I had something to offer to the community. And I needed to make a living. I have never been afraid of hard work and combining what I did well with supporting my family seemed logical.
Does one thing stand out for you about that time? The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was probably one of the best days of my life. I had 3 young children and really wanted to make a positive difference in our community. It was not easy to open my business here in Des Plaines. The build-out alone took almost 2 years and more financing than I had prepared for. But we did it! And here I was, with the Mayor of Des Plaines, Tony Arredia, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Mike Charewicz, cutting our ribbon! Woo-Hoo!
The day was made even more special because I shared it with my three kids.
My sister was also there – she’s standing behind me!
What is your best memory about AMA? I don’t think there is just one. I love watching our students grow from toddlers to amazing dancers. Seeing our teachers shine in the eyes of our students is awesome. I enjoy mentoring our staff and encouraging their dreams to come true. I have been blessed to receive hundreds of cards and emails over the years from parents and students who enjoyed their experience with us. Believe it or not, I keep every one of them. When I am old and gray, I will have some awesome reading material to reflect on! Life doesn’t get any better than that.
Raggedy Ann Dolls from Our Holiday Show!
“Circus” Theme Show
A Cute Baby Elephant
What do you feel sets AMA apart? There are 3 things that come to mind:
- Our sense of family. Our staff knows everyone’s name, we remember birthdays. (With over 400 students and staff, that’s A LOT of birthdays!) But celebration is important! We have to take time to pause and just be thankful for all we have, including each other.
- Our lines of communication are always open. Parents are always mentioning how well we stay on top of details and upcoming events!
- And the biggest difference… since we focus on being a performance school, we make sure our recitals are AMAzing!
Our music recitals are held at the beautiful Des Plaines Library. We keep them short and sweet, allowing AMA families to bring as many friends and family members as they wish! Our students are constantly recognized for their hard work and our students learn at our music recitals how hard work pays off!
Students and Staff from a Recent Music Recital
Our dance and tumbling recitals are SO much fun! I always say, most of our students will never be Broadway stars, however, while they are here, we will make them feel like they are! And we deliver on that!
This past year, was our best performance yet. The theme was so original…we actually had two shows running simultaneously. (That is a blog in itself!) I had several DADS come up to me in the weeks that followed raving about how much they loved the show. One dad even took his daughter and son to a show they were not in so they can see what we did for that show! It was probably one of the best compliments I ever received on a show!
“Music Legends & Superstars”
Our girls dancing with the Dixie Chicks in the background!
Our Tumblers showing a great pyramid stunt!
What is different today than when you first opened? Ten years later, we have a teaching staff of 12 team members and 4 office members. Our tumbling and acrobatic program is very well-known for our talented teachers! Our dance staff is huge. They are energetic, positive, KNOWLEDGEABLE and fun! Our music staff is AMAZING! AMA has an incredible music program offering private music lessons for ages 5 and up and small group Music FunTime lessons to ages 18 months through 7 years.
Our Fantastic AMA Staff
FUN FACT: Even though I took dance lessons my whole life, I actually majored in Music in College at Northeastern University. I took piano lessons from age 7 through college and trombone lessons from age 9 through college. While at Northeastern, I also learned to play several more band instruments including flute, clarinet, trumpet, baritone, xylophone and several other percussion instruments! I hoped to one day teach band in elementary schools. Instead, my journey brought me to open a school that offered ALL the arts! 🙂
Ann Marie and Trombone
PERSONAL LIFE: Miss Ann Marie has raised 3 children (Kendall, Jessie and Conrad) as a single parent since the kids were 4, 3 and 1. All three children danced and took music lessons for years at AMA.
Ann Marie and Her Great Kids!
Kendall is now 21 and a junior at American University in Washington, DC where she is majoring in International Relations and double minoring in Economics and Spanish. She will be studying abroad in South America (Santiago, Chile) for the first half of 2015.
Jessie is 19 and a sophomore at ISU. She is trying out for their Gamma Phi Acrobatic Circus this October, a life-long goal of hers – inspired by AMA’s awesome tumbling teacher, Denise Mlynski! Jessie LOVES working with children and hopes to own a preschool one day!
Conrad is a senior at Maine West High School keeping busy with football, chess, writing for the school paper, and NHS activities just to name a few.
All 3 of the kids own and operate Photo Booth Rentals of Chicagoland to help offset their college costs.
FAVES: Miss Ann Marie’s favorite color is green and she loves roses and ice-cream (and enjoys both of those items often)!
Did someone say ice cream?
AMA Dance & Music School offers more than music, dance, and tumbling instruction. Our school provides a space for students and families to make all kinds of magical memories – while focusing on giving your personal best AND having fun! Come join us!
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