ELM students will be joined in performance by Quinteto Latino, and Juan Felipe Molano returns from the LA Philharmonic to conduct our orchestra.
ELM began as a pilot project in 2008 when Executive Director, Jane Kramer Ph.D. received a one-year Time Out grant from Vassar College to “pursue a passion and/or take a risk.” She took a leave of absence from her research position at the University of California, San Francisco Institute for Adolescent Health Policy to focus on her oboe and English horn studies. Returning to music was demanding and exhilarating for Jane, but this opportunity highlighted the disparity in access to a high quality music education for children in her own community.
Rather than continue her research work at UCSF, Jane decided to pursue her lifelong dream to follow in the footsteps of her mentor and role model, Dr. Ruth Greenfield. In the 1950s, Dr. Greenfield started the Miami Fine Arts Conservatory, an accessible and inclusive school of the arts, in (at the time) a segregated Miami, Florida.
Jane purchased 15 soprano recorders, identified elementary school children from the Canal neighborhood in San Rafael, and committed to teaching the students twice a week. ELM took root with its Saturday music school for 25 children and currently teaches over 120 preschool through high school students.
Programs include chorus, orchestra, chamber music, jazz, and parent music groups. In addition to school-year classes, ELM runs a summer camp, concert series, and provides scholarships for private lessons for exceptionally motivated students. There are no financial barriers to participation.
