LEPAA supports four primary education initiatives, igniting the arts in youth and adults of all ages in the community we serve.
The Buddy Holly Songwriters Retreat
During this week-long retreat, writers break up into small groups to collaborate with mentors through the creative process of songwriting. Each evening, the groups come back together to enjoy great local cuisine and share the songs written during the day. The public is invited to be the first to hear the best-of-the-best songs written during the week at a special Friday-night showcase held at The Buddy Holly Hall.
The mission of The Buddy Holly Songwriters Retreat is to cultivate aspiring songwriters through the sights, landscapes, and the friendly folks that make up the West Texas culture that inspired Buddy Holly himself. At the end of the retreat, participants will have collaborated with mentors to further refine their songwriting creative process.
The 2024 Buddy Holly Songwriters Retreat is made possible in part through a grant from the City of Lubbock, as recommended by Civic Lubbock, Inc.
Staging the Future
The Staging the Future Program (STF) at BHH enables economically disadvantaged school children to experience live theater and access performing arts education opportunities. The program is funded through generous donations from our Broadway season ticket holders, the American Theater Guild (ATG), and other donations and grants. Since 2022, more than 5,000 area youth have experienced the magic of Broadway at Buddy Holly Hall through the STF program.
Theater Camp at Buddy Holly Hall
Lubbock ISD and LEPAA partner to present a summer theater camp at The Buddy Holly Hall. The camp is offered to students at a very low cost for the entire week, with scholarships available for those students in need. In 2023, campers had the unique opportunity to meet and visit with professional artists and technicians from Disney’s The Lion King Broadway production. Each year, theater camp allows students to refine skills in all elements of theater: costuming, acting techniques, special effects, lighting and set design. The conclusion of the camp includes a showcase of student performances.
The 2024 Theater Camp was made possible in part through a generous grant from the Allsup Family Foundation.
Kodály Symposium at Buddy Holly Hall
LEPAA partners with the West Texas Kodály Initiative (WTKI), Lubbock ISD Fine Arts and Texas Tech University Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Music to provide ongoing Kodály Method certification of music education. The Kodály Method to music education was created by composer Zoltan Kodály to offer a unified, singing-based curriculum to every child. Studies have shown that the Kodály method improves intonation, rhythm skills, music literacy, and the ability to sing in increasingly complex parts. Outside music, it has been shown to improve perceptual functioning, concept formation, motor skills, and performance in other academic areas such as reading and math. To be a fully endorsed/certified Kodály educator, teachers must successfully complete two weeks of graduate-level training each summer for three years.