ETM is thrilled to announce the opening of its first affiliate organization: ETM-LA, Inc. Located in Los Angeles, ETM-LA will continue ETM's 15-year mission of promoting and supporting music instruction in low-income areas in order to enhance students' academic performance and general development.
As ETM does in New York City, ETM-LA will partner with schools in the Los Angeles area that serve at-risk students and lack sufficient resources for school-wide music education. Its first partner school, St. Sebastian, has 230 children in grades K-8, and discussions are underway with a public school in East Los Angeles serving 800 children in grades K-5.
ETM-LA is headed by Executive Director Victoria Lanier, a former ETM teaching artist and supervisor. Ms. Lanier studied violin at Juilliard, graduated with honors from Princeton University, and received her Master of Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2003, she has worked with a variety of educational outreach programs in the area, but could not find any programs as comprehensive as ETM.
"For many of us, our lives would not be the same without music," says Ms. Lanier. "Yet for thousands of children in our schools today, there is no music education… [Music] is such an important part of the educational experience, and I am proud to be able to bring ETM's model of programming to the Los Angeles community."
"Before there was music education there was music in schools, just like every other subject," says Patrick Cole, Chairman of the Board of ETM-LA. "This is a program in which ordinary citizens are stepping up to assist our community and schools in bringing one of the most basic tools of learning — music — back into our curriculum."
ETM-LA, Inc., is an independent, 501(c)(3) corporation, which will receive guidance from ETM in implementing its model. For more information, visit www.etmla.org.
ETM thanks the Bettina Baruch Foundation and Edmonds & Co. for supporting the affiliate design process and the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation for its generous grant to ETM-LA, Inc.
