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A NOTE FROM JANE

Summer’s here, but ELM is busier than ever!

As the academic year comes to a close, we have not wasted a minute ushering in a summer filled with exciting plans. This year we are sending more students than ever to camps far and near, with wildly varied activities. Students will be attending the wonderful Cazadero Performing Arts Camp in the Russian River, spending a week at the Call of the Sea sailing camp, playing in the Girls Rock Camp, learning to swim at Terra Linda Community Center, and more.

Two students are headed to Colorado, where they will be backpacking and participating in service projects with the Navajo Nation, thanks to Deer Hill Summer Camp, which has offered us full scholarships, including transportation.

Another two rising seniors were accepted to a three-week internship at UCSF for students interested in health science. These opportunities have been facilitated by our academic staff team, who recognize that going away from home and taking risks is integral to college prep planning.

Thank you to all of our donors who helped us provide scholarships for our students to enjoy these exceptional opportunities. We will share some of our students’ experiences, reflections, and photos in a special summer edition of our newsletter.

Of course, this doesn’t include the incredible line-up of summer activities planned here at ELM. We will be entering our third year partnership with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, who secured a California Arts Council grant to facilitate a chamber music camp for our students. In addition, we will be welcoming our inaugural community-based wind and brass program into the ELM family. Students in this class will try out wind and brass instruments over two weeks before selecting the one that resonates with them. We just hope we don’t end up with 76 trombones!

ELM students aren’t the only ones who have exciting summer plans. Teaching artists Annamarie Arai-Lopez, Sydney Pérez and I just returned from Carnegie Hall/Weill Music Institute where we joined with 22 other PlayUSA grant recipients for a 3-day convening filled with exciting exchanges, guest speakers, and opportunities to share best practices. We presented our Reflections on Resilience project to the group and screened our mini-documentary featuring our commissioned piece, The Mix of the Culturas, and talked about future plans for continuing the project.

Enjoy this issue of our ELM Notes, which includes an interview with Veronica Martinez, mom of one of ELM's graduating seniors, updates on our students’ spring activities, and clips from our amazing spring concert.

Warmly,
Jane Kramer, PhD, Founder and Executive Director

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STUDENT CONNECTIONS

Congratulations to our Seniors

Our nine high school seniors, all of whom will be continuing their education in the fall, were accepted to over 40 colleges and universities with generous financial aid packages. We are so proud of their hard work through the years and are committed to continuing to support them in their journey beyond high school through our ELM alumni group.

Meet our seniors

ELM IN THE COMMUNITY

Performing in the community is a rewarding way for our students to spread the joy of music with others. We are grateful for opportunities to partner with local organizations that make a positive difference.

Bread and Roses: A New Partnership

Photo by Janet Franklin, courtesy of Bread and Roses Presents

Bread and Roses Presents, a nonprofit committed to “uplifting the human spirit by providing free, live, quality entertainment” invited us to perform at the SF-Marin Food Bank in San Rafael. Our elmCATS students’ tunes made for a wonderfully joyous Saturday morning atmosphere as they played for food bank volunteers and recipients.

Sinfonia Strings at the Redwoods

Last month, our elementary school Sinfonia string students played for residents at The Redwoods, a senior community in Mill Valley. The students played a three-song sampling of their spring concert repertoire and ELM’s string teaching artists surprised everyone with duets of Taylor Swift’s Love Story and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Reading Night at Pickleweed Library

In April, we held our first ELM reading night at the Pickleweed Public Library. Students learned how to access services from their local library, like checking out books, using the 3D printing lab, navigating the library app, and utilizing Marin's free state parks and museum passes. All this while enjoying pizza, snacks, and playing lotería. Thank you to the amazing staff at Pickleweed for hosting us. We’ll be back next year!

ELM SPOTLIGHTS

Veronica Martinez, a Proud Parent with ELM for 10 Years

For this edition of our Spotlight, Veronica Martinez, our site coordinator and ELM mother of two, sat down with our host, Kate Fitzsimmons, to talk about the community she found within ELM and how music has shaped her children’s lives.

read article

PERFORMANCES & EVENTS

ELM's Spring Concerts on June 4th at the Marin School of the Arts were our best yet. The two concerts, combined, attracted a record audience of over 800. Thank you to everyone who joined us in person or tuned in on Facebook Live. Please enjoy this video of our youth orchestra performing Leroy Anderson's Blue Tango, led by our fantastic conductor, Juan Palacios.

Want to see more? You can watch all the concert pieces at youtube.com/elmprogram.

Upcoming Events

June 30 | 5:15 - 6:00pm Sinfonia String Performance at the Marin County Fair on the Community Stage
August 4 Summer Pops Chamber Concert Time and location TBD
December 10 ELM Winter Concert at the Showcase Theater in San Rafael

Learn More

Ways to Give

Take your Commitment to the Next Level

ELM is a full childhood, tuition-free program for every student. Your gift underwrites this exceptional experience in music education, academic support, and community. Please join us to support our aspiring young musicians by sponsoring an ELM student.

Sponsor an elm student

Help ELM Find a New Home

We have outgrown our rehearsal space and are seeking a new rehearsal/office space. You can help us to purchase a building to create a Center for Music, Culture, and Community in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael.

elm’s capital campaign

Join our Legacy Circle

Remembering ELM in your estate planning is an easy way to make a lasting contribution that will help ensure our sustainability. You may wish to consider a gift to ELM through a bequest in your will or trust, retirement assets, life insurance policy, or donor advised fund.

learn about bequests

ELM provides youth with an immersive music education that empowers them to pursue their dreams and access resources they need to succeed in life.

JUNE 2023