MANC'S STRATEGIC PLAN 2026-2029
OUR ROADMAP TO A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE
The Strategic Plan (the Plan) of The Music Academy of North Carolina (MANC) reflects our judgment that we have entered a new era of our long history. The choices we make over the coming years will lay the foundation for expansion of our role in the community.
The Plan was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board of Directors, in partnership with Executive Director Kellie Burgess (Plan sponsor) and Associate Director Stephanie Foley-Davis, both of whom will lead implementation.
There was further collaboration with an independent and highly respected consultant who led several “Listening Sessions” with faculty, staff, adult students, parents, and donors. In all, 395 of our constituents were provided the opportunity either in-person or in a digital survey to express their views on the current and future state of the Music Academy.
We have elected to concentrate on goals that we believe will serve to set the pathway forward and deliver to our successors a newly invigorated community music school.
PRIORITY 1: INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE
We are committed to ensuring compensation and benefits are competitive, and we are taking concrete steps this year: launching a 401K matching program and conducting a benchmarking study to identify compensation gaps. We are reinstating an annual faculty gathering/meeting to connect across departments, share priorities, and answer questions. We are also building structured professional development pathways and piloting in-house training and collaborative learning opportunities.
PRIORITY 2: CULTIVATING A VIBRANT MUSICAL COMMUNITY
We want MANC to be a place where music happens together, not just behind a closed studio door. This plan calls for expanding ensemble and group programming, developing new collaborative programs for both youth and adult learners, and launching "MANC on the Move" — bringing student performances out into the broader community. We'll be seeking your input regularly as we grow this vision, and we're excited to hear your ideas.
PRIORITY 3: STRENGTHENING FINANCIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR LASTING IMPACT
We are working to grow our scholarship endowment, increase contributed income, and expand program revenue so that MANC remains a stable and growing hub for music education in our community for generations to come. Beginning this fall, ALL Gala proceeds will be allocated to the scholarship endowment to further support merit and financial aid scholarships as well as our community outreach.
PRIORITY 4: CLARIFYING OUR BRAND
We are embarking on a thoughtful review of the MANC brand to make sure our public identity reflects who we truly are: a multi-genre community hub for exceptional music education. This process will include input from across the MANC community, with a refreshed brand planned to debut at the Lessons for Life Gala in October 2027.
PRIORITY 5: OPTIMIZING FACILITIES FOR LEARNING AND CREATIVITY
The MANC community deserves spaces that inspire. This plan includes a comprehensive Facility Investment and Maintenance Plan, technology upgrades in shared teaching spaces, aesthetic improvements, and a longer-term effort to address sound mitigation so that every studio can be used effectively during peak teaching hours.