Westminster Arts Academy Earns 2019 North American Music School of the Year

At an industry conference in Dallas, the Westminster Arts Academy of Westminster, California, was awarded the 2019 National Music School of the Year by its peers. More than two hundred music schools, gathered for the event, from the US and Canada were on hand for the cherished accolade.

Headed by siblings, Francis, Teresa and Augustina Rios, the Orange County-based school has continued the legacy of teaching thousands of young aspiring Southern California musicians, started by their father, Robert Rios in 1991, who had been teaching in Southern California since the mid-1960s. Currently the school has more than 700 students, learning piano, guitar - and a myriad of other instruments - along with dance and visual arts all at one location.

The family, who has always had a hand in the school, previously known as Piano Place and Rios Piano Centers, have enjoyed substantial growth in both the number of students and those students' abilities. With a focus on live performance, individualized teaching needs and The Musical Ladder System® to reward advancing students, Westminster Arts Academy has been giving students great opportunities during large scale recitals and numerous community-based performances at local fairs and elder care facilities. Art and Music have been eliminated from many primary schools. Westminster Arts Academy seeks to provide that missing link to the overall well-rounded development of children.

Founder Robert Rios, who passed away in 2013 after a nine-year battle with bone cancer, instilled the values of service and passion in his children, who had been involved with the school from very early ages. The award, in the Rios' minds, is a tribute to his legacy.

According to Francis Rios, Executive Director of the Westminster Arts Academy, "We are so honored to have been nominated alongside these industry giants. Bringing home the trophy has been a surreal experience. To realize my father's dream and work together with my sisters carrying on his legacy, his mission. It's only the beginning for us and it has become our dream too."

The annual award from Music Academy Success, an industry Association consisting of the top music schools in the US and Canada, represents the best of the best. Westminster Arts Academy's story is a compelling one. The current sibling owners grew up in their father's business and seek to honor him every day in developing young minds through the arts. They see their role in the school like a "passing of the torch" from their late-father who instilled his passion and values in his children. Francis, Teresa and Augustina - along with more than 30 credentialed teachers - share their passion for learning and teaching and provide a warm environment that not only produces musical ability, but con?dence.

The school's 3500 square foot facility has numerous private teaching rooms - all sound controlled, electronically monitored and windowed. Comfortable and inviting surroundings o?er Massage Chairs, Co?ee and Tea Service, and pleasant social opportunities. This promises a warm, creative setting for parents and students alike. Generally, lessons, both private and group, run between thirty minutes to an hour.

Westminster Arts Academy is located at 14441 Beach Blvd and is open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 8:30 pm Monday thru Friday and 8:30 am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

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