Hi There! My name is Halladay Quist and I am raising funds for scholarships to my online learning center for music and the performing arts called Starlight Academy.

Starlight Academy is a cutting-edge online learning platform revolutionizing music education and artist development for students of all ages. From mastering an instrument to navigating the music industry, our comprehensive courses—ranging from Intro to Guitar and Piano to The Art of Building a Music Career—equip aspiring artists with the skills to shine. Think MasterClass for musicians, tailored for homeschoolers, schools without music programs, and lifelong learners.

Exciting news from Starlight Academy! We're thrilled to soft launch our brand-new "Intro to Guitar" course, designed for absolute beginners ready to strum their way to musical mastery. Whether you're picking up a guitar for the first time or dusting off an old one, this 12-week online program covers essential techniques, chord progressions, and simple songs in a fun, supportive environment led by experienced instructor, Mark McCrady.

As part of our soft launch, we're offering limited early access to just 100 spots at a special introductory price of $47/month (regularly $100). Enroll now to get exclusive bonuses like downloadable practice sheets, a private community forum for feedback, and free virtual sessions with your instructor.

Don't miss this chance to start your guitar journey—spots are filling up fast!

Access begins March 1st, 2026.

#StarlightAcademy #IntroToGuitar #LearnGuitar

Starlight Academy will be a place where you can learn any instrument, learn singing and dance, study music theory, learn about building a business in the music industry and even dive into performance mastery through lifestyle and mindset coaching. We are recruiting the best in the industry to give us a backstage look at what a life in the arts really looks like.

We are also recruiting licensed teachers that have a reputation for inspiring their students to find a love of music and a passion for learning. It will be a hobby learning center, a supplement for public school and a road map to musical success for home school students of all ages.

Currently in Montana there are around 50 schools that don't have a music teacher. That's hundreds of children that don't get access to music education each year. Studies show that music education is an important part of a well rounded education affecting other areas of learning like social emotional connections, mathematics and more! A recent study from the National Association for Music Education found "Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2 percent graduation rate compared to schools without music education at 72.9 percent."

It is Starlight Academy's mission to give scholarships to every school in Montana. Especially the schools that do not have a music teacher.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in a very musical family. My father was recently inducted into the Montana Music Hall of Fame. I can remember singing with my father from a very young age. As I grew up, I studied different instruments at different times including piano, guitar, bass, banjo and ukulele. I had my first professional tour by the time I was 18 and that year we ended up opening for the Doobie Brothers. Throughout the years, I continued to tour professionally, recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and then ultimately decided to come back to Montana to make my living as an artist for many years, opening for Jewel, Korb Lund, Colter Wall, The Shook Twins, Michael Martin Murphey, Collin Raye, Dennis Quaid, Tim Montana and many more.

Also during this time I was very involved in music education. I taught a course at University of Montana called Artist Development as part of the UM Entertainment Management program. I was President of Share Your Voice Foundation, an organization working with young adults to find confidence through arts based programs. I also toured the state to different schools teaching song writing workshops and putting on cultural musical programs with students of all ages.

When live music was shut down in 2020 I ended up teaching elementary music K-8th at a little country school. One day looking at open teaching listings in Montana, I noticed how many schools didn't have music teachers and I began to contemplate how we could solve this problem.

Starlight Academy will be an affordable way that anyone can achieve their dreams of becoming an artist. Want to learn how to play guitar? Want to learn how to build a following or write your first contract? We plan to cover it all in a way that is fun and easy and shouldn't take more than 18 minutes a day.

Some of our first courses lined up are Vocal lessons with Trans Siberian Orchestra's Dustin Brayley, How to Audition with Broadway Star and TV/Film Actress Meredith Patterson, as well as Intro to Guitar with Mark McCrady, and The Building Blocks of Music, a cartoon version for elementary children.

All money raised will go to giving scholarships to children in Montana.

Another part of Starlight Academy will be developing community events and retreats.

Montana's Got Talent is our second event to showcase new emerging talent at a prestigious venue, The Performing Arts Center in Whitefish April 25th, 2026 to give new acts a leg up in the music industry. The winner will get a professional recording/demo, an opening spot for a national touring act, a cash prize and every finalist will receive promo kits to jumpstart their career.

I am so grateful and appreciative of any and every dollar we raise to fund Starlight Academy Scholarships. I know Starlight Academy will have an amazing positive effect on Montana and the world.

Here are a couple of mile markers to give you an idea of where your donation will go to.

$599 - A Scholarship for one course to one student for one year ($47 a month)

$1199 - A scholarship for one student for one year to all the courses ($100 a month)

Thank you for the love!

Halladay Quist

www.StarlightAcademy.org

www.MontanasGotTalent.com