By Christine Kim | Development Associate
Education Through Music-Los Angeles culminated another successful year in December through a whirlwind of winter concerts and special performances that recognized holidays from around the world.
On December 6th, ETM-LA celebrated 10 years of quality music education at its Benefit Gala, which featured beautiful performances by our strings, band and vocal students and such artists as En Vogue, Michelle Branch, Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), and the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Our students performed the Academy Award® and Golden Globe-winning song "Glory" from Selma. "It was such an honor to have the children perform 'Glory,' along with Bob Marley's 'One Love,'" said Common, who gave the students a standing ovation.
When asked what it felt like to sing “Glory,” 8th grade student Gabriel shared, “Powerful. Like you just got through something hard.” Our students will remember performing at the gala as one of their forever memories, and we thank you for making this moment possible!
While students were on winter break, music teachers participated in rigorous training sessions that shared effective teaching pedagogies for ukelele, recorder, strings, and band instruments. In breakout sessions, music teachers discussed ways to improve student engagement. Field Supervisors Alex Collie-Hartmann and Irene Navarro presented best practices for classroom management and curriculum mapping. They shared how clarifying goals and expectations helped to create a vibrant environment for learning. “The whole experience was a good model for us to apply to our own teaching style,” shares a music teacher.
Principals and leaders from partner schools also gathered at the ETM-LA headquarters to discuss ways to advocate effectively for music education. Rio Vista Elementary School Principal Sadaqatmal and PTA President Melissa Lynch shared how open communication with parents was a valuable component of building a strong, sustainable music program.
We are thrilled to announce that we will be beginning two new partnerships with McKinley Elementary School in Compton and Normandie Elementary School in South Central LA – bringing our services to approximately 10,000 this year. These partnerships are possible because of your incredible support, and we thank you for helping us come one step closer to bringing music education to every child in Los Angeles. We are making systemic progress in Los Angeles County schools, and thank you for making this change possible!
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By Christine Kim | Development Associate
By Victoria Lanier | Executive Director
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