Enriching Lives through Music

Join our mailing list https://www.elmprogram.org/mailing-list

Mentoring, melody and magic. Saturday was the first time the ELM brass players have seen each other, the first time any of them have seen me (Sophie, Brass teaching artist), and first time they have played music together in-person since March. We had just finished recording our brass group for the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel when Jake (5th Grade) started practicing by himself while other kids were packing up and saying goodbye. He asks Tavi (10th grade) for help and as they start playing together, Julian (7th grade) joins in. AMAZING display of kids of different ages sharing a positive experience together, of a first year student looking up to an older student for help, and of an older student using his insight to gently guide the younger student to self-sufficiency. It was a magical moment.

Each one of Avery’s pieces is a masterpiece. This might just be my favorite. Thank you Avery. So inspiring for our elm musicians, especially our cellists! Can’t wait for our collaboration.

Families are essential to ELM students' psychological, social, and academic well being. ELM is devoted to supporting our families and recognizing the tremendous assets and resources that they bring to their children and our program.

Our students are working on individual repertoire during their private lessons along with a collaborative project that will be played across all instruments and age levels to create an 'all ELM' performance. We have chosen the Pachelbel Canon in D, a multi-layered piece which will enable the youngest students to perform alongside our most advanced ones.

Sophie Powers ELM's brass teacher loves a little NOLA jazz and Jake crushes When the Saints Go Marching In after just a few hours of practice.

Wow, yesterday was a nervous blur! I’m so grateful to have grown up in San Rafael with Catherine John where we get to spread love, culture, and music. We really... do make a great team hermana! I get all the crazy ideas and you implement them! Dynamic hermanas for the win! Even though I couldn’t get half my words out and when I did, I was tripping over them, it was all done with love. I was a nervous wreck so of course I forgot to talk about 95% of the things I wanted to talk about(I express myself much better through writing!) I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS WAS DONE ON MIWOK LAND. I was honestly too nervous to just be myself! No worries I will work on my hosting skills for next year mi gente! Despite my nerves, it was a beautiful experience, and I am especially proud of my Juju. He wants to join a mariachi group now! It’s super cool that Sol Food Restaurant volunteered to open up their ofrenda for the community. It’s one of those San Rafael things I love about this community. The other is getting to do something out there that gives my culture visibility. I am proud of my Mayan queen of a mother, Rosa Diaz. I am so blessed to be able to honor my Mayan brothers Miguel Marlene Hau, Felipe Tapia, Mario Góngora, and Luis Góngora Pat. We are Mayan, and we’re a part of this community! Orgullo Maya! It’s been a joy to work with talented, beautiful people, from the folks at the planning committee, particularly Steve Mason my partner in crime, and the O.G.’s of our celebration Zoe Harris and Stephanie Jucker. Thank you to Jennie Renn and Nydia Algazzali Gonzalez and to the lovely Sara Remington who recorded us today. Thank you to all the businesses downtown and every single altar maker. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

Community members including Lin-Yu Diaz and Catherine John participated in the virtual Dia de los Muertos - San Rafael yesterday.

So looking forward to resuming music together and our Mariachi collaboration!

Recognizing the impact of schools-gone-virtual we quickly reached out to network. Within weeks, we developed a cadre of over 20 tutors and reading buddies many of who are now working with our students twice per week, overcoming challenging technological barriers to be present for our students.