5 Purposeful Organizations Sowing Music Across California

5 Purposeful Organizations Sowing Music Across California

Fun Activities for Music Lovers

• Learn an instrument, like piano or guitar
• Go to a concert or symphony
• Take your music on-the-go with a pair of headphones or a portable speaker
• Learn more about music theory
• Invite your friends over to listen to records

8 Great Films About Music and Musicians

1. Once (2007)
2. A Star Is Born (1954)
3. Amadeus (1984)
4. Immortal Beloved (1994)
5. The Devil's Violinist (2013)
6. The Sound of Music (1965)
7. New York, New York (1977)
8. School of Rock (2003)

How Music Can Heal Our Brain and Heart

In Depth

Whether you're performing it or just listening to it, music is a powerful medium that has the capacity to thrill, move, heal, and generate socially and culturally beneficial effects. Fortunately, there are a number of organizations devoted to cultivating it throughout the population. The ones included on this list, all based in California, harness the potential of melodies to empower kids, enrich lives, and uplift communities. Ranging in location from San Diego to Santa Cruz, here are, in no particular order, five steadfast nonprofits dedicated to promulgating music across the Golden State.

For #1 we have Harmony Project. A nationally renowned Los Angeles youth development organization, this nonprofit uses music education to supply underserved students with the resources and skills necessary to flourish. Since its founding in 2001, it has provided thousands of students from kindergarten to college with free, world-class music instruction and social assistance, ensuring that kids of all socioeconomic means can realize their potential through musical engagement. With sixteen hubs spread throughout the LA metropolitan area, the organization strives to improve the well-being of communities by emboldening their youngest members.

Harmony Project offers a research-informed curriculum that employs music to strengthen kids' cognitive faculties. Students receive instruments they can take home, professional instruction, opportunities to perform around the globe, and support services oriented toward both academic and family life. Those who have been in the program for at least one year are eligible to receive private lessons, as well. Another program is the International Academy of Young Conductors, which gives comprehensive training in conducting to underrepresented students between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. Donate an instrument to help Harmony Project spread the gift of music.

Students receive instruments they can take home, professional instruction, opportunities to perform around the globe, and support services oriented toward both academic and family life.

At #2 is the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Since performing its first concert in 1910, the SDSO has grown into one of the preeminent orchestras in the United States. Dedicated to offering high-quality, enriching concert experiences and educational opportunities, it brings the magic of music to communities throughout Southern California. The SDSO also runs a number of learning and community engagement programs designed to promote musical leadership, empowerment, and healing, such as professional development for aspiring high school musicians and therapeutic drumming for female inmates.

The SDSO performs over 140 concerts every year, at both its home in the Jacobs Music Center and beyond. Its diverse array of performances, which often feature famous guest artists, encompass classical music, Broadway hits, modern jazz, and pop. Family concerts allow children to learn about and enjoy the world of symphony orchestra, while a series held at the Fox Theatre exhibits movies with their soundtracks performed live. A summer series at Embarcadero Marina Park, meanwhile, presents an eclectic, genre-hopping catalog of songs. Help the SDSO maintain its commitment to the community by making a gift to its annual fund.

For #3 we come to iPalpiti Artists International. Devoted to nurturing the careers of young classical musicians and inspiring positive change through music, this Los Angeles-based nonprofit works to ensure the success and cultural influence of future generations of artists. The organization seeks to discover and cultivate musicians who have practiced at conservatories, providing resources to help them become leaders in their field. Its many programs include summer festivals, concert series, private benefactor performances, and a coalition for the arts designed for students from fifth to twelfth grade.

Devoted to nurturing the careers of young classical musicians and inspiring positive change through music, this Los Angeles-based nonprofit works to ensure the success and cultural influence of future generations of artists.

The organization's cornerstone is the iPalpiti orchestra, a consortium of young, award-winning musicians from all over the world. Under the direction of master conductor Eduard Schmieder, musicians perform at the annual Festival of International Laureates, which presents both orchestral and soloist concerts across a variety of venues. To help promote and advance the careers of other burgeoning artists, iPalpiti offers educational and award initiatives that grant tuition scholarships, access to instruments, mentorships, stipends, and more. Give back to the organization by buying from its wide selection of albums online.

Showing up at #4 is the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Located in the picturesque coastal city of Santa Cruz, the Cabrillo Festival stands as a leading showcase for contemporary symphonic music. Taking place annually over the first two weeks of August, the festival features a core orchestral ensemble comprised of sixty-eight musicians from around the globe, as well as a lineup of established and emerging composers. Committed to developing passionate, knowledgable artists and audiences alike, it also provides open rehearsals, educational programs, and training workshops, all of which are intended to foster purposeful and enriching musical engagement.

The Cabrillo Festival offers a bevy of opportunities for people of all ages to become involved in the creative process. A workshop for conductors and composers helps artists up to thirty years old hone the skills they need to create and perform new music. The Student Staff Program gives young people between sixteen and twenty-four the ability to access the festival's concerts for free, as well as to compose and present their work during the season. The Church Street Fair, running concurrently with the festival, further immerses visitors in the vibrant creative culture of Santa Cruz. Volunteer to house an orchestra musician by joining the fest's host family program.

A workshop for conductors and composers helps artists up to thirty years old hone the skills they need to create and perform new music.

Finally, for #5 we arrive at Bach Collegium San Diego. Established in 2003, BCSD enlists acclaimed singers and instrumentalists to bring a diversity of notable musical works to the San Diego metropolitan area. Its performances, which are accessible for all audiences, feature historically significant music that spans the Renaissance, Classical, and Baroque eras. BCSD's concerts take place in a variety of churches and theaters, and highlight the works of such legendary composers as Handel and Bach. They are also frequently accompanied by distinguished guest performers from around the world.

BCSD's outreach programs include Bach at Noon, a free concert showcasing a litany of historic pieces, and the Choral Internship Program, which selects local college students to collaborate on a performance alongside esteemed contemporary vocalists. In order to prepare aspiring musicians for future careers, the internship provides a professional atmosphere, enlightening partnerships, and an intensive week of rehearsals leading up to the performance. You can fill out a form on the organization's website to host a musician, or you can make gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, and securities that come with myriad donor benefits.