Causes: Arts & Culture, Arts Education, Children & Youth, Youth Development Programs

Mission: Education Through Music-LA is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit with the mission to provide music in disadvantaged schools to enhance students’ academic achievement and creative overall development. ETM-LA partners with inner-city schools to provide yearlong music instruction and is based on the ETM® model (New York, 1991). For more information, visit www. etmla. org

Geographic areas served: Los Angeles County

Programs: Now entering its 13th year, ETM-LA has expanded from 2 schools and 800 children to a planned 35 schools and approximately 15,000 schoolchildren with weekly music as part of the core curriculum in such diverse communities as Compton, South Central, ​ Chinatown, Boyle Heights, ​Downtown LA, ​East Los Angeles, Pacoima, ​Pasadena, Burbank, Canoga Park, San Fernando Valley, ​ and West Los Angeles. ETM-LA provides ongoing mentoring and extensive training with monthly site observations and professional development for teachers. Working closely with each school principal, ETM-LA designed a music program that addresses each individual partner school's needs. ETM-LA continues to build collaboration between music teachers and academic teachers, to engage the parents and overall community, and to guide school leaders to create strategies for long-term programming and self-sustainability. Furthermore, ETM-LA partners with other arts organizations to further enhance and to bring more opportunities for students' musical learning, including after-school enrichment and concert assemblies.