Lagond Music School Hits High Notes for College Acceptance, Scholarships

Getting into college these days is no easy feat. For music and performance majors, landing a spot at a prestigious music school or an ivy league college – or even a good state school – can be difficult. For many, receiving a scholarship to help pay for that education is an added obstacle.

Yet, Lagond Music School in Elmsford has a proven track record in helping its students who aspire to study music to achieve that goal. Ninety-eight percent of students in the School’s college preparatory program are accepted into the colleges of their choice. Many also receive a significant amount of scholarship money.

This year, 18 seniors cumulatively scored more than $2.5 million in full and partial scholarships to schools across the U.S., as well as in Canada and the U.K. The key to success? “We take students with passion, and we broaden their scope and their view,” says Executive Director Rosanne Lana.

“We have done a lot of research and developed a step-by-step curriculum that aligns with each student’s strength and interests,” says Lana. Since 2008, approximately 200 of Lagond’s students have together accrued more than $23 million in scholarships.

Additional requirements for music majors may include interviews, pre-screening videos, and live auditions. Lana explains: “We realized that students and their parents were having a hard time figuring out how to get into a good college because the application process for music students is complicated. But as we became more streamlined and focused on our college prep curriculum counseling, our awards have increased from $900 for a graduating class to over $2.5 million this year.”

For Nicole Bazos, who began studying at Lagond in eighth grade, writing and producing music has always been the way she expressed herself. She says her experience there gave her a holistic understanding of composing and performing pieces. She also says Lagond was instrumental in helping her get into Elon University, where she is now a Mass Production and Recording Arts Major.

Bazos, a 2022 graduate of Fox Lane High School, says: “Through Lagond’s college prep program, I learned how to be a well-rounded musician, a strong interviewee, and a flexible and supportive classmate.” She explains that she and her fellow classmates spent hours learning how to present [them]selves in front of auditioners and interviewers.

Bazos adds that because of Lagond’s curriculum, she was able to place out of what would’ve been two semesters of first-level music classes when began college. “This let me jump into my major-related classes off the bat and set me up for success.”

At Lagond, students are assigned mentors who guide them through the program, and they get the chance to work with professional musicians. This was very important to Ryan Finegan, an aspiring saxophone player. He’s been a student at Lagond Music School since he was nine years old, studying under Steven Salcedo and the School’s founder, Charlie Lagond.

“I enjoyed all the opportunities to play with so many different musicians,” says Finegan, who graduated this year from Ardsley High School.

Finegan elaborates: “Through the pro-coaching segment of the program, in conjunction with the education from mentors that I know well, I was able to learn from some of the most active musicians on the scene. I instantly began improving in leaps and bounds. The fresh angle on my playing paired with insights from the teachers that know me really took my musicianship up a level.” Now he’s heading off to Eastman School of Music to major in jazz saxophone performance.

“Lagond really allowed me to explore music, eventually leading me to fall in love with jazz,” says Finegan, adding that he had been itching to play the saxophone since he first laid eyes on one in third grade. “That passion was truly captured [once] I started in lessons with Steven Salcedo and remains today.”