Give In-School Music Classes to Los Angeles Youth

Education Through Music-Los Angeles (ETM-LA) has been a whirlwind of activity these past few months, hosting our two-week Summer Music Program for students, intensive week-long Summer Academy for educators, and launching our 20th year of programming!

This summer, students eagerly worked with ETM-LA Music Teachers who fostered the excitement of expanding their musical knowledge and skills. Music pathways included string ensemble, band ensemble, singing, and general music with a diverse mix of musical genres including blues, classical, film, pop, and rock. On the final day of the program, families joined in on the fun at the culminating performance. A parent expressed, “My child loved the summer program and got to explore music theory, learn fun, challenging songs, and make new friends! He’s excited to come back next summer!”

Last month, over 60 ETM-LA music teachers, interns, and local educators came together to begin preparations for the new school year. Summer Academy featured workshops designed to equip educators with vital skills, allowing them to thoughtfully develop strategies to enrich their music classrooms. Participants explored over 45 sessions including Special Needs Strategies, Jazz in the General Music Room, Teaching Music Tech for Beginners, and many more. Music teachers of all levels experienced sessions tailored to their needs and interests, ensuring everyone the opportunity to grow and advance their skills for the new year. A new music teacher shared, “It can be really scary going into your first year of teaching in a school when you’re the only music teacher. So this was really nice, because before I even start I get to have this week of meeting all these people who are my resources, so I don’t have to jump into it alone.”

This 2025-26 school year, ETM-LA welcomed a total of 16 new music teachers and music teacher interns, further expanding our reach to students and communities across LA County.

As ETM-LA enters our milestone 20th year of programming, we stand firm in our belief that access to quality music education for all children should be non-negotiable. Yet, program fragmentation and threats to music education still exist. ETM-LA presents a multi-faceted solution to support cohesive, yearlong comprehensive music education as a core subject for every student in under-resourced schools. We began in just two schools reaching 800 children. Now, 20 years later, ETM-LA reaches over 18,000 students across 42 schools and five school districts. To date, we’ve impacted over 150,000 children with music education. Our work is built on four key pillars:

1) Deliver yearlong, sequential, culturally responsive music instruction.
2) Recruit, train, support, and place music teachers & teaching interns.
3) Provide ongoing professional development for music & classroom teachers.
4) Support schools and districts in building sustainable music programs.

For the next 20 years and for as long as it takes, ETM-LA remains resolute in our mission. We will continue to come alongside our communities in ensuring sequential and comprehensive music education as a right for all students, regardless of background. Schools must continue to be safe places where care, self-confidence, connection, creativity, cultural inclusivity, and community abound freely. ETM-LA stands hopeful that our impact and the transformative benefits of learning music will be amplified for generations to come.