Music L.A.! Citywide Music Education Program for Youth Launches Summer 2005

Los Angeles – The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs is honored to present the summer launch of its new citywide educational program Music L.A.!, a groundbreaking partnership between the City of Los Angeles, local music providers, and parents. Music L.A.! gives children and teens in Los Angeles a summer full of music, where creativity is engaged in fun, challenging, and exciting musical activities, and where discipline and focus is cultivated in the learning of new skills. All Music L.A.! classes are taught by professional musicians and music instructors, as top-quality music education is the program’s critical aim. Music L.A.! provides excellent music education to youth in Los Angeles, and it also allows the City to support musicians as music instructors and arts groups as music providers, creating points of access between the underserved youth, creative communities, and local government.

Music L.A.! classes begin Monday, July 11, 2005, and will be sited at seventeen locations citywide, with at least one in each City Council District. Music L.A.! is overseen and funded by the Department of Cultural Affairs, and each of the supporting facilities and music providers has molded its unique programming based on specific community and neighborhood needs. Therefore, program costs and schedules vary, and the public should visit the Department website www.culturela.org to access a complete list of the seventeen program sites and their specific contact information.

The comprehensive Music L.A.! offers five different levels of music education among its seventeen sites, with every site offering classes in music theory. The five levels of music education include: Early Childhood, Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced, and Demonstration. The Early Childhood level focuses on music readiness and the development of listening and responding skills, designed for children aged two through five years. The Introductory level focuses on the basics of playing an instrument and/or singing. The Intermediate level focuses on being able to play an instrument or sing in a group or ensemble. The Advanced level focuses on students preparing to give a musical performance before an audience, either solo or in an ensemble. Sites that provide Demonstration offer music instruction at all levels and in a variety of instruments as well as voice; these sites also include a full complement of arts classes in dance, theatre, and the visual arts.

General Manager Margie J. Reese states: “This program is a must-do for the City. I’m so indebted to all of our music providers and partners for creating this opportunity for our children.”

For further information the public should call (213) 473-8577 or visit www.culturela.org.

SEVENTEEN SITES CITYWIDE
Early Childhood Program: Zimmer Children’s Museum
6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90048
(323) 761-8998, [email protected]

Introductory Program: McGroarty Cultural Arts Center
7570 McGroarty Terrace, Tujunga 91042
(818) 352-5285, [email protected]

Introductory Program: West Valley Playhouse (Canoga Park Arts Center and San Fernando Valley Youth Chorus)
7222 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park 91303
(818) 346-7099 or (818) 895-7071, [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]

Introductory Program: Lankershim Art Center (Sound Art)
5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood 91602
(818) 752-7568, [email protected]

Introductory Program: Angeles Mesa Elementary School (American Youth Symphony)
2611 W. 52nd St., Los Angeles 90043
(310) 234-8355, [email protected]

Introductory Program: Heart of Los Angeles Youth - HOLA
2701 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90042
(213) 389-1148 ext.226, [email protected]

Introductory Program: Grandview Elementary School (American Youth Symphony)
3951 Grandview, Venice 90291
(310) 234-8355, [email protected]

Introductory Program: Croatian Cultural Center
510 West 7th St., San Pedro 90731
(310) 522-2015, [email protected]

Introductory / Intermediate Program: Art-In-the-Park (Lalo Guerrero School of Music)
5568 Via Marisol, Los Angeles 90042
(323) 259-0861, [email protected]

Intermediate Program: Village Christian Schools (Knights of Music)
8930 Village Ave., Sun Valley 91352
(818) 772-6737

Intermediate Program: Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural
12737 Glen Oaks Blvd., Sylmar 91342
(818) 754-2402, [email protected]

Intermediate Program: CSUN with CSUN Youth Valley Orchestra
18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge 91330
(818) 677-3074 or (818) 677-6834, [email protected]

Intermediate Program: Neighborhood Music School
358 S. Boyle Ave., Los Angeles 90033
(323) 268-0762, [email protected]

Intermediate / Advanced Program: Los Angeles Theatre Center - LATC (Henry Mancini Institute)
514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles 90013
(310) 845-1900, [email protected]

Demonstration: Plaza de la Raza
3540 N. Mission Rd., Los Angeles 90031
(323) 223-2475, [email protected]

Demonstration: William Grant Still Arts Center
2520 South West View St., Los Angeles 90016
(323) 734-1165, [email protected]

Demonstration: Barnsdall Gallery Theatre (Silverlake Conservatory of Music)
4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90027
(323) 665-3363, [email protected]