Mentorship through Music: Tuition-Free Community-Centered Music Education

K-12 STEAM education

South LA Long Beach County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The ethnic and racial composition of orchestral performers within the United States is not equitably diverse. According to the American Orchestra, fewer than 12% of orchestra performers in the United States are Latino, and an estimated 4.1% are Black.
As an organization, we found that Los Angeles County school districts host sparse and inconsistent in-school music programming. Progressive learning, where schools maintain education in one subject but increase difficulty, is even more limited in Title 1 schools that lack resources for continuous extra-curricular education. External music education training is costly and predominantly in West Los Angeles, making it inaccessible. Additionally, in-school music education may train musicians but does not offer guidance on furthering education or opportunities through other organizations.
SAPPA aims to bridge the gap between music education and professional opportunity. We provide music education and mentorship for youth across Los Angeles.

SAPPA bridges the gap between music education and opportunity by providing multipurpose music programming. SAPPA’s main goal is to remove all barriers to obtaining high-quality music arts across neighborhoods that lack quality arts education and resources. We aim for accessibility along three lines: geographic accessibility, financial accessibility, and creative accessibility.
We host classes near accessible public transportation, spread across the Watts, Willowbrook, and Compton areas. We prioritize high-density low-income (subsidized public housing) apartment blocks, enabling us to reach communities 214%+ below the federal poverty line. Our classes are tuition-free, and instruments are subsidized or offered on loan. This ensures that even the most vulnerable musician can attend.
We hire professional musicians from the local community to educate and mentor our youth musicians. We maintain a highly diverse workforce to ensure our youth musicians have mentors who reflect them. Our mentors and youth performers are paid a competitive rate, at a minimum of $50 per hour, for community performances to support our mission of increasing opportunity through financial equity within musical arts. Furthermore, our mentors and staff provide individualized support for each student interested in furthering their pursuit of music. Musicians are supported with guidance, referrals, scholarships, and additional resources to empower them to be successful.

If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will have a larger demographic of ethnically diverse music performers who are not only skilled artists but also community leaders shaped by mentorship. Youth from under-resourced communities will have clear pathways to creative careers and enrich the cultural landscape of professional performers. We will see a growth of music professionals who return to the Watts, Willowbrook, and Compton regions to provide artistic guidance and performance. Current and future youth will have greater access to long-term, consistent support within musical arts.
Additionally, current professional musicians within the Watts, Willowbrook, and Compton regions will have consistent opportunities for gainful employment.
As the program expands, we will witness more frequent community performances for entertainment. These performances would promote artistic culture and engagement.