Eric Conway: Rockley Foundation Grant for Fine and Performing Arts Department at Morgan

Dr. Eric Conway

Eric Conway, D.M.A., Fine and Performing Arts Department Chairperson

of Morgan State University:

Hello everyone,

I am ecstatic to share with the greater Morgan Community that the Music Area of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Morgan State University just signed a long-term partnership contract with the Rockley Family Foundation earlier this month, November 2013.  This is a non-profit Foundation that promotes music education by donating musical instruments to the music educational community.  They will raise money for these donations each year by holding a piano and instrument sale in the Murphy Fine Arts Center.  This piano sale will target the greater Morgan community, but will also be open to the public.  Below is a list of donations that the Rockley Family Foundation plans to give the Music Area totaling over $150,000 in instruments by the third year of the contract.  Each year the donations will be replaced with new instruments purchased with proceeds from the piano and instruments sale.

Year 1—beginning in January 2014

§  3 upright acoustic pianos (for classrooms and the dance studio)

§  3 grand pianos (2 for practice rooms, 1 for the choir room)

§  16 digital keyboards and an audio teaching console (for our group piano lab)

§  12 copies of Music Theory training software (for our computer lab)

§  12 copies of Ear Training software (for our computer lab)

Year 2

§  All of the pianos and keyboards from year 1 will be replaced with new instruments

§  20 string instruments including violins, violas, cellos, and string basses

Year 3

§  All of the pianos and keyboards from year 1 will be replaced with new instruments

§  All of the string instruments from year 2 will be replaced with new instruments

§  Various wind and percussion instruments

The impact of this partnership will be great. Not only will our music students benefit from new, functional instruments; it will also be a draw for prospective students.  Many non-music students enroll in our group piano courses.  They will greatly benefit from our new piano lab. This truly a way for 

If the sales are reasonably successful, this relationship could go on for years - an evergreen investment for Morgan.  I would like to commend Dr. Stephanie Bruning who was very "instrumental" in connecting with the Rockley Family Foundation on behalf of the department.  Also, Barbara Blount Armstrong, from the Morgan Foundation, initially connected the Rockleys with Morgan.  Thank you. 

This is another great day for Morgan State University!   

Eric Conway, D.M.A.

Fine and Performing Arts Department, Chairperson

Morgan State University