MARCH 2024
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A NOTE FROM JANE
My September trip to Caracas, as a member of the El Sistema World Congress, began with a night in the Santo Domingo airport since we were not able to fly directly to Venezuela from the United States. Wandering around the airport I connected with Sistema friends at the all-night Starbucks until the sun rose and we were able to get our visas and begin our adventure to Caracas.
Most readers of our newsletter know that Venezuela is the birthplace of El Sistema, the inspiration for ELM, and I was honored to be included in this extraordinary gathering that included musicians, visionaries, and teaching artists from over 20 countries – including Angola, Turkey, India, Philippines, Senegal, Japan and Cyprus.
Our days started and ended at the Sistema headquarters, a seven-story building with two concert halls – one indoors and one outdoors. Mornings were occupied with panel discussions on topics ranging from the history of El Sistema, social and emotional aspects and aspirations of the program, the nucleo model, and evaluations. Each afternoon we visited nucleos across the country and learned how they connected locally, regionally, and nationally. In the evenings we were treated to a succession of concerts ranging from jazz to opera.
The highlight for me was a flight to the Amazon where we spent a day in Canaima, the most remote nucleo serving the indigenous Pemón people of Venezuela and Brazil. After less than a year of music, the children sang both classical and indigenous repertoire and played instruments at an impressive level in a unique collaboration with a resort at the base of the Angel Falls.
I was inspired by so much – the extraordinary quality of music making, the sheer numbers of youth – shoulder to shoulder sometimes 100 or more filling each inch of the room with music. I returned to ELM with a strong desire to explore and perform more Latin repertoire and instrumentation alongside traditional classical music and to start youth earlier, perhaps to bring back our popular ELMitos program for pre-school youth.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact me. I’m happy to share photos and videos.
I am pleased that this issue highlights our amazing Lower String Lead Teacher, Annamarie Arai Lopez. Anna has started every beginning violin student in ELM with incredible patience and devotion.
We have an exciting program this year and hope to see you at our next concert on March 10th at the United Methodist Church in Mill Valley where we are continuing our collaboration with the SF Chamber Orchestra. Please join us for the concert and a reception to meet our board, students, and ELM faculty.
Jane Kramer, PhD, Founder and Executive Director
ELM IN THE COMMUNITY
ELM Recognized by Marin County Voters for our Commitment to Equity
Photo by Tim Porter
ELM's Canal Culture of Excellence project ranked #2 among the 24 finalists, securing 1,250 of the 3,600 votes in Marin County’s participatory budgeting process.Thanks to everyone who helped get out the vote for ELM, we won all of the $250,000 that we proposed.
Funds from this grant will allow us to be able to open our program to more aspiring ELM students, in addition to enhancing the programs we provide to our current students: high-quality music education, academic support, and family engagement.
This huge success is a testimony to our community support. We are humbled and honored by your ongoing commitment to ELM students and their families.
Family Workshops with Agricultural Institute of Marin
Photo by Tim Porter
Last weekend we hosted our second workshop with the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM). As part of our partnership with AIM, we are co-hosting a series of three workshops during which AIM’s community program manager, Vanya Goldberg, educates ELM families about the various ways they can access affordable, local, seasonal produce in Marin.
We’re grateful to the wonderful staff at AIM for sharing their time, knowledge, and resources with ELM. We can’t wait for our third workshop this spring.
ELM Wins the Héctor Cortés Community Service Award
We're proud to share that the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Marin honored ELM with the Héctor Cortés Community Service Award. Our board members Rita Escajadillo, Rosa Gonzalez, and Tiana Wimmer joined Jane in accepting the award on behalf of ELM.
STUDENT CONNECTIONS
Connecting with Alumni
We rang in the new year enjoying bagels and coffee with ELM’s current high school seniors and former students for our annual alumni brunch. It was such fun catching up with our graduates and hearing about what they’re up to now!
Alum Update: Nicolas Lau, a Sophomore at UCSD
One of our alums, Nicolas Lau, played the violin with ELM for over ten years, starting when he was just 7 years old. A sophomore at UC San Diego, Nicolas is enjoying college classes, fraternity life, and, of course, making music.
“I am a clinical psychology major working towards PT or OT school. Although college requires a lot of focus and commitment, I’m enjoying meeting new people and going on adventures, whether it’s to the desert, the mall, or the beach.
I am in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at UCSD and love attending our fraternity’s sporting events. Although the games can get extremely competitive, I like that you don’t have to be good to have fun.
College can be overwhelming, but I relieve stress by playing my violin and guitar. It’s always relaxing to play music, especially during challenging times.”
ELM SPOTLIGHTS
Teaching Artist, Annamarie Arai-Lopez, Celebrates 9 Years with ELM
Photo by Tim Porter
This spring, our Lower String Lead Teacher, Annamarie Arai-Lopez, is celebrating almost a decade of teaching with ELM. Annamarie sat down with our Spotlight host, Kate Fitzsimmons, to reflect on her journey to becoming a music teacher and the invaluable lessons her many years of teaching at ELM have taught her.
IN MEMORIAM: Edith Lonergan
We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Edith Lonergan, our long-time enrichment volunteer who brought so much joy to ELM. Every week Edith arrived at Kerner wearing her red cowgirl boots and matching glasses, eager to teach origami, help students practice reading, and share stories from her many travels. One look at the smiles on our students’ faces during enrichment class and you could see how much they adored Edith.
In addition to her work with ELM, she volunteered with the after-school program at Pickleweed and as a docent at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the San Francisco MOMA.
To honor her legacy of a lifelong commitment to working with children, you can make a donation in Edith's memory.
All gifts will be designated to the Edith Lonergan Memorial Fund to support student scholarships.
PERFORMANCES & EVENTS
Join us in Mill Valley on March 10th
Photo by Tim Porter
We are excited to continue our partnership with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra (SFCO) for the third year in a row. Over the past semester, musicians from the SFCO worked with ELM students to prepare chamber and orchestral pieces for a special collaborative concert in Mill Valley, through a grant from the California Arts Council. ELM students and the SFCO will be showcasing pieces from Debussy, Mozart, and Bach in a special side-by-side concert.
Upcoming Events
March 10th | 3pm ELM & the SFCO Side-by-Side at Mt. Tam United Methodist Church
April 26th | 7pm ELM Sinfonia Strings Perform at Oakmont of Novato
April 28th | 3pm elmCATS Recitals at 142 Throckmorton Theatre
June 9th | 4:30pm ELM Spring Concert at Marin School of the Arts
ELM provides youth with an immersive music education that empowers them to pursue their dreams and access resources they need to succeed in life.