IN 2018,
Swallow Hill Music reached more than
175,000
PEOPLE
through our Community Outreach
Programs, Concerts and Music Classes.
BOARD CHAIR/CEO LETTER
Dear Friends,
Thank you! In 2018 you attended scores of concerts and took more lessons in our school than ever before. And through your ticket purchases and school tuition, you helped our community outreach programs grow like never before. Thank you for joining as members, for your donations and sponsorships. Because of you, we were able to nurture existing partnerships and bring new partnerships to life. In our 39th year, Swallow Hill continues to fulfill our mission bringing the joy of music to life every day.
Last year, our concert team produced 229 shows bringing together 64,904 concertgoers. From the Denver Botanic Gardens Summer Concert Series to our three stages at our own venue on Yale Avenue — we were honored again this year to host national acts and emerging artists and everything in-between.
And because of you, Swallow Hill continues to proudly serve as the country’s 2nd largest acoustic music school. Our extraordinary teachers, more than 60 in all, are the heart and soul of Swallow Hill — they are also working musicians — and we see them bring their passion and skills into every class they teach. In 2018, our school saw more than 64,000 visits — group classes swelled with students young and old and the number of private lesson hours continued to rise.
2018 also marked the 2nd year of our strategic plan and we surpassed our goals and more than doubled our outreach efforts making 48,666 musical connections in our under-resourced community (up from 18,900 connections in 2017).
We provided MORE Little Swallows early childhood education classes, MORE Music Therapy programs, and MORE Interactive Performances for school assemblies across the metro area. Seven of our teachers taught 1,740 Little Swallows classes at 19 schools. In addition, our team now includes three Board Certified Therapists who have helped to grow our Music Therapy programming at Brent’s Place, Developmental Pathways, the Alzheimer’s Association and Memory Care and Assisted Living Facilities including Balfour and HighPointe. Music education taps into our emotions and joins together both halves of our brains.
Music education drives language acquisition and gets us thinking about math in a different way. And because of its social nature, music education drives positive behavioral outcomes. Music matters and because of your generosity we are reaching those in our community who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn and grow.
We look forward to 2019 and beyond with great excitement. As our concert and school teams expand programing, we anticipate reaching 71,000 community outreach connections by the end of next year. All of this is driven by the recognition that music matters.
Thank you for helping to make music matter.
Warmest regards,
Paul & George
PAUL LHEVINE
CEO
GEORGE LYFORD
CHAIR OF THE BOARD
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
48,666
MUSICAL
CONNECTIONS
through our
Community
Outreach Programs
456
ENRICHMENT
CLASSES
taught
115
INTERACTIVE
Performances
&
Workshops
87
INSTRUMENT
PETTING ZOOS
1,740
weekly
LITTLE SWALLOWS
classes in
19
high-needs
schools
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT - ERIC FELDMAN
A Board Certified Music Therapist, Eric joined Swallow Hill in January 2017. Our Little Swallows early childhood music appreciation classes provide an ideal situation for someone of his talent and experience to shine.
Eric currently teaches Little Swallows at the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being. The classes are part of Swallow Hill’s rapidly expanding community outreach programs. In 2018 our grant-funded, weekly Little Swallows classes reached 1,200 preschool aged kids in 19 schools in the metro area, up from 65 kids at one school in 2017.
"
“I aim for my classes to provide musical exercises… that guide each child towards success.”
-Eric Feldman, Music Therapist
CONCERTS
64,904
MUSICAL
CONNECTIONS
through our
Concerts
211
CONCERTS
&
EVENTS
46
FREE
CONCERTS
250+
FREE JAMS
300+
ARTISTS
BOARD SPOTLIGHT - CBS4 DENVER
CBS4 is a significant partner of Swallow Hill’s, enabling us to bring the joy of music to life every day through concerts and music lessons for all ages. CBS4 generously provides digital, television, and social advertising to promote Swallow Hill’s Music Matters campaign.
"
-Walt DeHaven, Member, Swallow Hill Board of Directors, CBS4 Denver Vice President & General Manager
MUSIC SCHOOL
64,119
MUSICAL
CONNECTIONS
through our
Music School
60+
FACULTY
MEMBERS
5,300+
students
participated in
GROUP CLASSES
20,000+
Private Lesson
HOURS
$49,666
awarded for
NEEDS BASED
SCHOLARSHIPS
FUNDER SPOTLIGHT - THE DENVER FOUNDATION
Thanks to The Denver Foundation for their ongoing and generous investments in our Outreach programming, which provides music education and experiences to under-resourced communities. As a result of their support our Outreach efforts will increase by over 40% from 2018 to 2019. We are grateful for the many ways we are being supported by The Denver Foundation and for their leadership in our community.
"
-Collinus Newsome, Director of Education, The Denver Foundation
VOLUNTEERS
gave
more
than
STAFF SPOTLIGHT - CHERI GONZALES
I was first introduced to Swallow Hill at the age of 19 while playing at an Open Stage in the Café. During my now seven years working at the organization, I have taken private lessons and group classes, witnessed multiple Outreach programs, recorded an album at our in-house recording studio, and performed at many Swallow Hill events. It is a special community comprised of genuinely caring people in the classroom, on stage, and in the administration.
Music welcomes me into the building each day. I sit in my office while toddlers sing “Hello Friends” and shake tambourines in the room below me. I listen to conversations between teachers who have become friends and co-workers who I now consider family, all while talking about the amazing work Swallow Hill Music is doing at our locations and in the community.
"
-Cheri Gonzales, Development Coordinator, Swallow Hill Music
FINANCIALS
