It’s Tuesday afternoon, and little snatches of music drift through the otherwise quiet halls of Church Street United Methodist: a piano melody that starts out haltingly but gradually finds its footing, the bright tinkling of triangles in a percussion circle, stray notes escaping from the classrooms. Meanwhile, in an art room, a group of students is so engrossed in their work that no one even lifts their head when I start taking photos.
For 34 years, Community School of the Arts (CSA) has been working to make arts education accessible to Knoxville children, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. When founding Executive Director Jennifer Willard retired in June after leading the organization since its inception, longtime local musician, educator and music therapist Cecilia Stair stepped into the role.
It’s something of a homecoming for Cecilia, who taught cello at CSA about 14 years ago, early in her career.
“This was one of my first professional opportunities,” she told me. “It just felt so cozy and it felt so real. I’ve always had this positive feeling towards CSA, so it’s sweet to be back.”…