UCO's music academy

UCO's music academy seeks gifts to amplify mission

Buzz up!
BY DAWN MARKS
Published: August 5, 2009

An investment in the University of Central Oklahoma’s Academy of Contemporary Music isn’t just an investment in students, officials said.

It’s an investment in Oklahoma, said Ben Odom, a UCO Foundation trustee and one of the team leaders for academy fundraising efforts.

As organizers prepare for the first class starting Aug. 17, foundation volunteers are raising money to cover costs of opening the academy. They’re nearly halfway to their goal of $2 million, Odom said.

The campaign will run through November.

Students can earn a two-year associate’s degree of applied science in contemporary music in performance or music production. That will produce a generation of artists and people who can help build the music industry in the state, Odom said.

"This is an economic development tool for Oklahoma,” Odom said. "This is good business. We have a lot of Oklahoma artists. I bet they’d like to do more of their work here.”

Donations received include $50,000 from Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores and a $30,000 grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation.

A portion of the startup funds, $750,000, was taken from a $3 million unrestricted gift given in 2006 by Troy and Dollie Smith.

The funds will help cover the costs of renovating a portion of the Oklahoma Hardware Building in downtown Oklahoma City to meet the needs of the new academy.

Equipment purchased has ranged from chairs and music stands to sound boards, guitar amplifiers and electronic drums, said Scott Booker, academy chief executive officer.

Booker said the academy is expected to start with about 160 students.

"The excitement behind the program is universal,” Booker said.

"The idea of going to school for this has really reached its time.”