YES YOU CAN!

How performing arts create successful musicians—and successful adults By Laura Michaud and Melissa G. Wilson Every September, students across the western suburbs step into band, choir, theater or orchestra classrooms. Most don’t realize those spaces teach far more than music. They build confidence, discipline, teamwork, creativity, and resilience. For many, those lessons become the foundation…

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Healing on a Higher Note

How ECPA and Freedom Sings turned trauma into art By Laura Michaud and Melissa G. Wilson The Encore Center for Performing Arts (ECPA) is no stranger to bringing powerhouse talent to DuPage County. From Hamilton’s Miguel Cervantes to rock icon Cathy Richardson, they know how to draw a crowd. But their recent collaboration with Nashville’s…

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A Song Can Save a Life

How Freedom Sings USA transforms veterans’ stories into music By Laura Michaud and Melissa G. Wilson The phone rang in the middle of the night. On the other end, a veteran’s voice, raw, quiet, alive. “Brother,” he said, “you just saved my life. I had the gun in my hand, finger on the trigger. Then…

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