Welcome back Alumni!

Although MFAA provided many opportunities for me to grow as an actor and musician, the biggest thing I learned through the experience was an appreciation for diversity.  I grew up in a very conservative home that basically taught me anyone who had beliefs different from mine were wrong.  MFAA allowed me to understand diversity and appreciate other people's values, opinions, backgrounds, and beliefs.  As a current medical professional, this is crucial to my occupation.  I am still involved in the fine arts through membership in Sigma Alpha Iota, a Professional Women's Music Fraternity, and will continue to be involved thorughout the rest of my life.  Being an "artsy kid" is hard in high school.  There are very few opportunities to be exposed to quality performances and training due to education budget cuts.  MFAA allows students that share a similar passion to come together and become inspired by professional musicians, actors, and artists.  It helps these kids network and find support from their peers and creates life-long friendships.  I still talk to the friends I met at MFAA, and I know I will be in contact with them for many years.  Cutting the funding for this program would be a huge mistake and would rob many talented kids from an incredible experience that could change their path in life forever.

I can honestly say that the summer of 1997 changed my life forever.  I am a singer/songwriter/actor living in New York City.  Before the Academy, art was just something I thought was fun and entertaining, and while it can be those things, I realized that it had the potential to be so much more.  After spending weeks learning and growing with the other actors, singers, dancers, visual artists, peers and mentors alike, I decided that this is what I want to spend my life doing.  I truly believe a life without art is a life without living.  No matter what your profession, lifestyle, income, or background, self-expression, communication, and a basic connection to humanity are what keep us healthy and productive individuals.  Every movie, play, song, painting, dance piece, and gallery reminds us that we are not alone in our struggle.  It is a human struggle that has gone on long before us and will continue long after we're gone.  That is the beauty of art.  It lets you into a world and reminds you that you've always been a part of it, whether you knew it or not.  The Missouri Fine Arts Academy is an invaluable institution that lets students find and develop that expression, and therefore their relationship to mankind.  Whether they decide to puruse art as a career is not important.  What is importat is that there are young adults coming out of Springfield, Missouri every year that have a deeper understanding of the world and bigger ideas of what's possible.  Every year, students go back to their communities with the knowledge that they can make a difference by something as big as starting an after-school theatre group that performs for the elderly, or as small as drawing a Get Well card as opposed to buying one.  As I said before, I can honestly say that the Missouri Fine ARts Academy hanged my life forever.  And just so we're all clear, it changed it for the better.  I owe my artistic passion, my cultural awakening, and my desire to always be a better person in general to MFAA.

I received excellent training from the piano professor at the Academy and was inspired to pursue a minor in music performance at Miami University.  The MFAA was my first exposure to several famous composers whose music I went on to study and fall in love with.  It was also my first exposure to other arts, and I still proudly display my art project in my home today!

I got into the B.F.A. Musical Theatre program at Millikin University (the college I wanted to go to).  I was an intern for Heifer Project International's theatre project.  I largely attribute my interest in linking theatre and advocacy to attending Missouri Fine Arts Academy, and I am so grateful.

I graduated from Missouri State University with a B.S. in communication.  MFAA was one of THE best experiences of my life.  This program truly was life changing.  I learned more about my passions (theatre and art) during my 3 weeks at MFAA than I learned throughout my entire high school career.  I went to MFAA for voice, but was introduced to visual art.  I have since had pieces of my art displayed in the Springfield Art Museum, and I do some of the graphic design at the Yakov Smirnoff Theatre in Branson.  I am also currently working with a non-profit organization to locate and deliver musical instruments for our troops overseas.  I think MFAA had a HUGE impact on my life, and I'll do whatever I can to keep it alive.

Missouri Fine Arts Academy was a life altering experience for me.  The connections I made and the opportunities given were, and still are, priceless.  I gained such confidence from those 3 weeks.  I found a path in my life, and encouragement from other peers like me.  I still communicate with not only other MFAA alumni, but also with instructors.  It was a proud moment the first year I was able to nominate one of my own students to attend.

The Fine Arts Academy was an eye-opening experience for me.  I went to a high school without an orchestra program, so for me, attending the Academy was the first time I was able to play in an ensemble with other string musicians.  This was a very exciting time for me!  I learned a tremendous amount about myself, as well.  I leanred not to define myself as a violinist, but rather as an artist.  By broadening this definition of myself, I grew and learned about things I would have never known if it weren't for the Academy.  I learned to collaborate with other artists, which has been extremely valuable to me.  The faculty, staff, AND the students are remarkably inspiring.  I strive to model myself after the great teachers that I have had at the Academy.  Every year that I return to the Academy as a Resident Assistant, I mature as an artist, and that is one of my favorite parts of the Academy.  I leave the Academy feeling refreshed and inspired.  The Academy is so much more important than I could ever put into words.

I attended SMSU (now MSU) because of MFAA.  It gave me the opportunity to experience the school first hand and meet some of the music staff/students.  MFAA allowed me to meet other geeky music/art kids, like myself, who opened my eyes to so many new ideas, musically and otherwise.  I made lifelong friends and, if I still lived in Springfield, would work or volunteer at MFAA in a heartbeat if given the chance.  These kinds of experiences are what make life worth living.  They give kids the inspiration they need to pursue theiri art/music, knowing they have a network of motivation and support.

It is my opinion, without the training and experience I received from the MFAA in 1997, I would not be where I am today.  The MFAA program started my journey to becoming, not only a professional actor, but a theatre professional.  My time at the Academy showed me that theatre is truly a "team sport."  An actor cannot do his or her job without the set, lights, costumes, director, and all of the other elements and people that are required to put on a show.  In 2002, I graduated from THEN SMSU, with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance, a degree I probably would not have gained from a Missouri school without the MFAA experience.  I was looking at theatre programs outside of the state, but it was my experience at the Academy that opened my eyes to SMSU as a viable institution for theatre.  It is this training that prepared me for the life I now have.  Although it was never my goal to produce, I gained so much valuable training from the MFAA and Missouri State that I was properly prepared for that opportunity when it presented itself.  Without these experiences, I would not have had the tools to become the professional I am today.

After attending Missouri Fine Arts Academy, my mind was expanded dramatically, not just to different forms of artistry, but to people as a whole.  I came to respect people for who they are and appreciate them for their differences.  MFAA taught me that art is beautiful because it is an expression of self, something that our materialistic world often lacks much of.  Some days we forget what is really important and fall into the trap of becoming what we own.  Instead, MFAA teaches students that it is okay to be yourself, or rather dig inside of yourself to discover all that you can be and do, and encourage others to do the same.  As I said, not only did I learn to respect all types of art, something that our society often lacks, but I also learned a respect for others and was encouraged to push myself to be all that I can be and more.  If we want a solution to the world's probelsm, the last thing wthat we should be taking away from is education.

After MFAA, I went home and was the male lead in the fall play (something I never would have considered before the Academy).  I attended MSU (with at least 9 other 1998 grads), which I attribute to MFAA, played with a variety of ensembles including the Island Breeze Steel Drum Band, went to a slew of community, university, and national theatre productions in the 10 years I've been in Springfield, played in countless instrumental music concerts, earned a degree in Instrumental Music Education, and stayed in state to use it as a teacher, all due to my involvement with MFAA.  As I continue to teach, I see plaques on walls with students who attend on them.  The possibility of attending, at no cost, an amazing arts immersion experience for a student from a small town (like myself) will probably continue to keep our best and brightest in this state for college and potentially beyond, enriching the lifeblood of Missouri's art community.

MFAA was simply three of the best weeks of my life.

I have been given multiple opportunities for scholarships.  I have also been able to audition for professional theatre companies. Without the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, I would not have known how to prepare for an audition.

MFAA is the reason that I am at Stephens and doing what I love.  Because of attending MFAA, I was able to decide once and for all that I want to do with my life; I was able to say that I don't care enough about money to stop myself from doing what I love.  Art is something that must be given to the world.  Without art, we are filled with emotioins that can't be expressed any other way, and that is something that so many people don't understand. MFAA is an important academy that teaches these things.

After attending MFAA, I was opened up to a whole new world of dance.  Before, I had little experience outside of ballet, but after taking classes at MFAA, I was inspired to pursue modern dance and yoga. It expanded my horizons as an artist and strengthened my creativity.  I am currently minoring in dance at a liberal arts college, and I partly attribute this decision to the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.  It taught me the importance of being a well-rounded artist and student.

It's because of the teachers that I worked with at Missouri Fine Arts Academy that I decided to major in classical voice at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.  There I performed in musicals and even spent a month in Italy studying opera and Italian language.  I was also introduced to modern dance for the first time and have been a huge fan ever since.  I've studied introduction to modern dance and enjoy going to dance concerts.  This program is something my parents never would have been able to afford, and I cannot imagine my high school career without having had it.  To meet so many young artists from around the state gave me a profound respect for where I come from, and for my peers.  It is essential to the creative growth and development of our state that Missouri Fine Arts Academy remains a scholarship-based program for all of Missouri's youth.

I have several tangible gifts from my experiences at and instruction from the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.  Further, my experiences at MFAA gave me the confidence and support to pursue many personal and professional goals.  After my graduation from MFAA in 1998, MFAA approached me to travel the state over a period of two years speaking to various community and state arts organizations regarding arts advocacy. This opened me up to acknowledge and appreciate the many important social and political functions of art in our world.  I continued performing at the university level as a high school student and earned a Charter Scholarship to Stephens College.  I studied theatre in New York City and abroad in Manchester, England, and taught dance and theatre classes both locally in Columbia, MO and at a summer camp in Maine over the summers.  I graduated from the University of Missouri with honors in Theatre and Psychology and pursued graduate education in clincial psychology.  I received my master's degree in 2006 and expect my PhD in 2011.  I have earned national and internationl recognition for my work in research and in ethics.  I also have served on the selection committee for incoming MFAA classes for several years.  My continued involvement with MFAA teaches me that art (in some capacity) is a part of all of our lives and reminds me that my life is best when balanced with involvement in the arts.  Thus I continue to teach dance classes and perform with regional theatre when I have time.  I truly believe my accomplishments continue to be influenced by the confidence and courage that my experiences at MFAA instilled in me.  Finally, I really think I benefited from MFAA as much as possible because they sought students who excelled academically as well as artistically.  The experience is intended to shape the whole person, only part of which is artistic talent.  I think this is what truly sets MFAA apart from other artistic experiences that students can have early in their development.  I find that my MFAA experience shaped who I am today and gave me the confidence to puruse both my academic and artistic goals.

There are very few aspects of my life that haven't been influenced by MFAA.  It was at the Academy that I first paired together my passion for the arts with community service. The Academy inspired me to go back to my high school and community and immediately start a free theater program for local third graders. And that inspiration has carried me all the way to my current position as Executive Director of Opening Act, a New York City nonprofit that provides free theater programming to some of the city's most under-served public high schools.  Through theater, our students have the opportunity to gain confidence, pride, and the knowledge that they can succeed at anything in life, all opportunities I was personally granted through the Academy.  I am passionate about serving others because of the way the Academy served me, and the ripple effect of thousands of Academy alums doing important work in their communities cannot be overstated.

I attribute my entire future to MFAA.  I hadn't decided on a college or career till I came there.  It was what really made me fall in love with music and performing and the people that surround it.  Now here I am pursuing a music theatre degree and loving every second of it.  This summer I am playing leading roles in Summer Stock around the Midwest, and all of these things can be completely attributed to my time at MFAA.  It was truly a blessing to be a part of, and a serious turning point in my life.

Both my collegiate education (Bachelor of Art + Bachelor Journalism/Advertising + Masters of Art Direction) and career (Art Director) were influenced by the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.  MFAA confirmed that my love of art was a serious career path rather than a hobby.  The MFAA is too important to be cut from our state's budget.

The Missouri Fine Arts Academy was a completely life changing experience, and I really do look at my life pre-MFAA and post-MFAA.  Since the summer of 2005 I have noticed myself being more confident, more open, and I found a new love for my music.  I am not a music major, but I am currently the go-to harpist for my campus.  MFAA taught me an appreciation for my music that I didn't even know I was lacking.  I learned so much at the Academy and made so many life-long friends.  I am still talking about MFAA.  I probably mention it at least once a week; in fact, some time ago I was telling my housemates about a class I took there:  What's Wrong with Amadeus, a class on biographical films.  I can't say enough good things about MFAA; it absolutely changed my life---gave me a taste of responsibility and independence, gave me so many amazing opportunities, and exposed me to peers that I would have never met otherwise, but who have become such an important part of my life.

As cliche as it may sound, the Missouri Fine Arts Academy absolutely changed my life.  I attended the Missouri Fine Arts Academy in 2007 as a student of Vocal Performance.  Before my attending the Academy, I had no intention of going after a career in music.  Music was always a big part of my life, but only as a hobby or means of passing time.  During my time at MFAA I learned what it is to TRULY have a passion for music and found that the passion had been inside of me all along; I just needed an outlet to realize how much it truly meant to me.  The constant encouragement I received from not only my fellow peers but also the unbelievably talented instructors at the Academy after a student recital pushed me towards pursuing a career with my voice.  So here I am only a few years later from my time at MFAA, and my life has absolutely been changed.  Having originally had the plans of entering the field of medicine because my mom was a nurse, I have gone on to working with a record producer in Europe and have some very huge opportunities headed my way in the very near future.  I attribute every ounce of what has happened to me to the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.  Had I not attended, I would not have had the drive, motivation, and most of all encouragement to push my music and promote it.  The Missouri Fine Arts Academy has been a crucial part of my life, and I think that other students in Missouri deserve the chance to be encouraged and find THEIR true voice through the caring, nurturing, and life changing atmostphere that MFAA brought to my life.  I feel so blessed to have been a student at MFAA, and I know that this Academy will change many other lives as well. Creativity is not appreciated like it should be.  It is a sad fact.  However, hard working students deserve the chance to have their talents recognized strengthened. The Missouri Fine Arts Academy is just what these students need.  Who knows what sort of talent is out there, just waiting for that right piece of encouragement to motivate them to pursue the dreams they were too scared to go after themselves.  I know first hand how life changing this Academy is.  We can't let others miss this opportunity!

I loved MFAA; it opened my eyes to the arts and to what I wanted to do with my life. It helped in getting ready for this big bad world, and gave me a taste of what to expect. I LOVED MFAA!  And some of my best friends I found at MFAA!

I attribute my desire to make films to MFAA, as well as my views on the fine arts and my avocation for fine arts in schools. In 2007 I spoke on behalf of the arts to students who were going to be meeting their state representatives. That same year I played at a "freshman legislators" convention in Jefferson City on behalf of the MFAA. I am now heading the drama team at Columbia College, using many skills learned at the Academy. I've interned twice as Media Manager and this year will be filling the position. MFAA was a life-changing experience for me. it revolutionized how I viewed the world and gave me a better understanding and appreciation of the other arts. It taught me skills such as leadership and individualism, two aspects that I use in my every day life. It taught me confidence and how to think on my own, as well as how to think outside the box. By all means one of the most important experiences of my life, and many agree with me.

Before going to MFAA, I was absolutely terrified about graduating from high school. Since it is my dream to be an actress, I have to audition to get into college, and I was extremely nervous about that audition process. After MFAA, I felt more confident and strong in my craft, and I've recently been accepted into The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, and I am still awaiting the results from NYU and Yale University. I am excited to learn as much as I can, and I know that any of my successes in the future can be attributed to the amazing training that I received in the very beginning at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.

MFAA exposed me to different types of theatre that my school had not known of, along with helping my school and other students with their understanding of theatre. it also helped me realize what I want to do with the rest of my life. I could become one of the instructors that love every moment of their lives. I love it enough to fight for it ten years from now.

Thanks to MFAA, I now have confidence in what I can do as a performer. I was very shy when I went. The MFAA faculty helped me to realize that I should not be afraid of my own voice, but rather, I should embrace it! I am a 2007 MFAA alum. in Fall of 2007, I auditioned for the Missouri All-State Choir and was accepted. I thank MFAA for this. Without it, I do not think that I would have ever had enough confidence in myself as a singer to do as well as I did.

MFAA inspired me to continue with music. Before MFAA, I wanted to be a journalism major. After MFAA, I knew I wanted to teach music so that I could encourage students to find the joy in music, whether they chose to pursue it as a profession or not. Realizing that I had the talent and perseverance to attend MFAA strengthened my confidence in myself, and the lessons and experiences I received furthered my growth as a musician. Because of this I sought a private teacher the next year to continue the growth that began at MFAA. I have continued to play my horn and was honored to be placed first chair in the Missouri All-State Band. In college, I was placed on first part in our top band my freshman year and was named principal horn in the Classical Symphony Orchestra, which is an organization outside my university. I realize that it took a lot of hard work after MFAA to achieve all of this. However, MFAA was one of the strong influences in my musical life that encouraged me to strive for challenges and successes. I hope that Missouri does not take these types of experiences away from high schoolers. It is a fantastic opportunity for all mediums of artists. It would be a shame to deny anyone the opportunity to further their growth, which is what MFAA did for me.

I am in charge of all marketing and public relations efforts for the theatre. I also serve as the literary manager for which I program, do dramaturgy and direct our In-Progress New Play Reading Series. I also serve as the Unicorn's representative in the National New Play Network. Artistically, my professional work includes actor, director, designer and choreographer for most of the professional theatre in Kansas City. Administratively, I have also done public relations for Theatre for Young America and StoneLion Puppet Theatre, both in Kansas City. I also served as Executive Director for a non-profit gallery in the Cross Roads Arts District.

The MFAA means the world to my career and me. As an artistic high school student, I had been searching for a place to completely fit in. Our high school was very sports heavy. The arts departments were not given the money, attention or respect to truly succeed. Along with that, the artistic students were often shunned and misunderstood by other students and even the teachers. Then in June 1998 I arrive to a group of hundreds of other artists my age from all over the state that greeted me with open and excited arms. This was truly the first time I had felt at ease and normal about being an artist. While my high school did have a theatre department, the learning opportunities I received during my summer at MFAA are the ones that truly captured my attention and made me realize I had to spend the rest of my life doing theatre. The contacts I made with students and teachers are ones I keep very close to me even today.

I grew up very working class. My parents were good supportive people, but could not afford to send me away to expensive arts camps. If the MFAA had not offered me the chance to spend the three greatest weeks of my life learning and living with other artists, I really fear for how my life would have turned out. I am sure I would have given up theatre. Please keep this important opportunity open to future artists.

MFAA inspired me to go to college. I applied to five different schools and not only was I accepted, I received almost $250,000 in total financial aid offers. MFAA helped me break out of my shell and become the artist that I am today.

I owe the Fine Arts Academy my current career and my successes as an actor, writer, director, producer, and special effects makeup designer working in theatre, film, and television. Check out my full resume and filmography of major stuff at www.imdb.com/name/nm2933163/. Also I have had success as a writer in theatre and film at the Samuel French Short Play Festival, the London International Independent Film Festival, the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, and the WildSound Film Festival. I am currently working on the major motion picture Winter's Bone as well as a National Music video being shot in the Springfield area. All of this would not have been possible without the Fine Arts Academy being a part of my life and introducing me to other passionate individuals that are now working across the world! I firmly believe that we NEED the Fine Arts Academy in Missouri and it would be a crime to cut its funding.

I attribute many of my successes to MFAA: my term as 1999 Missouri All-State high school band saxophonist, admission to Stanford University, creative development that led indirectly to original and ongoing contributions to scientific research, a rich and diverse group of friends, a passion for swing and blues dancing, and improved self confidence that directly resulted from working in a supportive environment surrounded by peers. All of that and a date to the senior prom.

You've probably already read a hundred of these little notes. The state is in a budget crisis that may impact not just educational programs like MFAA that are dear to my heart but also my father's job as a physician at a state-run facility. And you're probably wondering why you should fund artistic programs when alums like me don't even necessarily pursue public careers in the field.

The answer is that everything is connected. Each student at MFAA (and Missouri Scholars Academy, which my brother attended) is an extremely talented and multi-faceted person. It's hard to say what percentage of our future success can be attributed to three weeks in one summer (I should know; I'm a statistician) but I do know that the program has served as a springboard for many alums into careers, collaborations, and business ventures that would never have been possible without the network of creative people we met that summer. And for people like me who chose other careers, that creative development was not lost but rather transferred into our varied pursuits. Medical research is a lot easier because I have a wide range of creative experiences to draw upon, and I enjoy my work much more because I also continue to play the saxophone and dance. Everything is connected.

Finally, please realize that investments in education pay the highest dividends in the long run. Cutting out programs like MFAA and Missouri Scholars Academy may make financial sense in the short term, but it would amount to eating the state's seed corn of intellectual capital, and the long run economic consequences will be more severe.

Many of us with artistic gifts or inclinations who come from small towns and regular Midwest families strive for a greater sense of belonging in high school. In an environment where sports rule supreme and academics and the arts take a very rear back seat, the Fine Arts Academy allowed me to see that there were others out there with the same skill sets and the same amount of passion about the arts. The Missouri Fine Arts Academy was an integral part of contracting the artist and person that I am today, and I am positive that I am not alone in these results. Eliminating the funding for such a program would be a dire misstep in the future of artists to come. Many of my classmates with whom I still speak on a regular basis continue to flourish in the arts, due in no small part to their experiences at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. I implore you to reconsider your decision to cut funding for the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. After all, how sad a world it would be to stifle the artistic growth of the next Mozart or Monet.

The high school I went to was very small. My junior year of school we had only 150 students total, and we only had a drama program for three years. Attending MFAA really opened my eyes to the amazing arts programs that were happening in my state. Being able to work with other drama teachers from around the state and other talented individuals gave me the confidence that I needed to audition for undergraduate drama programs. Prior to MFAA, I never would have thought that I could use my talent at a level beyond my small Missouri high school.

Due to some scholarship opportunities, I was able to go away for college at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. My focus was pre-med, but I needed a creative outlet. I auditioned for an a-cappella group on campus and was chosen to be a member. I was a part of the group for 4 years, had multiple engagements, and even recorded 2 CDs with the group.

Though the majority of my studies were geared toward my career in medicine, performance arts gave me a peace of mind and an outlet for expression. I am not sure I could have finished the pre-med courses without it. During my time at Emory, I was also in a few plays and also participated in a few dance troupes.

What I learned from MFAA was that I did not have to stay within one genre of art, and no matter what I did in my life, performance arts would always stay a part of me. Even to this day I still do intermittent performances, whether it be for a fundraiser at church, a wedding, or a function for the medical school.

Since graduating from MFAA in 1998, Susan spent three years at MSU, received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UMKC, and received her Master of Music in Opera Production from Florida State University. She taught voice at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp for three summers in an effort to pass the inspiration she received as a student at MFAA on to future artists. Currently, Susan lives in Florida and is working as an Assistant Director and Assistant Stage Manager for opera companies such as the Orlando Opera Company, New Orleans Opera, and Opera Grand Rapids. The leadership and expertise she experienced at MFAA was a critical part of her development as a young artist and profoundly influential on her growth as a person.

Over the past ten years, I have worked at various theatres, where I utilize many things that I learned while I was at MFAA. I have been a dance, drama, and music instructor for various camps for teens and children over the years as well. MFAA was such an amazing experience for me, and I made friends that I've had since I left MFAA.

This program completely changed my outlook on everything! I am an accounting major at NCMC in Trenton, Missouri. All throughout high school, I never really fit in with one group or another, but when I went to MFAA, THAT was where I fit in. Ever since going there, I have more confidence in myself, a higher self-esteem, and, of course, all those wonderful memories! Please don't let MFAA get shut down! It changed my life, and I know it will change the lives of all those students yet to go!

It's not even been a year since I was at MOFAA now, but it has already affected a lot of how I go about my acting work. MOFAA taught me so much about character analysis, which in turn has related to my life and how I perceive the people around me. MOFAA was such an awesome place where my artistic abilities could flourish with the help of other artists like myself and amazing teachers who were in my shoes once.

Nothing now in my life would be the same had I not had the experience of the Academy. Before MFAA, I was a high school student from Missouri. Now, I am an artist living my passion. Until my arrival at the Academy, I had never in my life experienced a community made up entirely of artists working together toward the common goal of creativity. Participating in that group, I realized that that idea was something worth striving for.

Ever since, I've pursued my creative goals and now live around and work with an amazing collection of people/artists in Chicago. I play and live in the city and around the country, and I run an independent performance space out of my home. I am literally living my dream, and I wouldn't have known a life like this could exist without MFAA.