“The thing that has surprised me the most is their ability to listen.  When most kids learn to play an instrument, the class will sound like a group of individual players.  These kids are able to listen and play as an ensemble.” - Jonathan Terry, clarinet Music Mentor

“It is heartening for me personally to see that despite a lack of funding for the arts in public schools, organizations like YMF continue to provide a foundation on which students can build a rich knowledge and appreciation of music.” - Sam Sachnoff, guitar Music Mentor

About

YMF firmly believes that music education is crucial to all students’ academic and personal development and an integral part of the arts and cultural life that can help unify a community.  Building on the YMF Mentor Artists Program that was started in 1994, YMF launched a new Music Mentors Program in Fall 2011.  In its first year, the program extends the YMF mission of supporting young musicians in Lennox, an underserved, unincorporated and economically distressed area of Los Angeles County.  Specifically, the 6^th grade middle school in the Lennox School District is the site of the Music Mentors program, since there currently is no music education offered due to district financial constraints.  Moreover, since parents do not have the financial resources to fund music instruction or to provide transportation to orchestra concerts, the Music Mentors program provides instrumental music instruction, music appreciation and fundamentals, as well as field trips to concerts.

Upon full implementation, the Music Mentors Program in the Lennox 6th grade Middle School will open a new world of music to students and will build critical thinking skills through music.  Music education will be another platform to build community within the school and the greater community of families.

 

Classes

The YMF Music Mentor Program offers at-risk students the opportunity to learn in a continuing, mutually beneficial, caring relationship that strengthens the individual’s resiliency and capacity for lifelong learning.  Music Mentors travel to the Lennox Middle School site to facilitate after-school instruction in a core curriculum and lead instrumental instruction in small groups and on a one-on-one basis.

 Classes occur after-school, with class size ranging from 6 – 8 students.  Each Music Mentor provides two classes per week to his or her students: one Instrument Instruction class, and one Music Appreciation class.  In the Instrument Instruction class, students learn the basics of instrument instruction, note reading, syncopation, etc.  In the Music Appreciation class, students are exposed to different music genres, artists, and composers, from Bach, Beethoven, Prokofiev and Dukas to Victor Wooten, Lionel Hampton and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  In addition, the Mentors frequently perform for the students followed by a Q & A discussion about the pieces performed.

Instruction is offered on the following instruments in 2012: Double Bass Electric Bass Violin Choir Acoustic Guitar Percussion Trumpet Clarinet

Performance opportunities

Culminating performances for the 30-week residencies featuring program participants and their Music Mentors are held at LMS6.  Family members, peers, school personnel, school district administrators, and YMF personnel are encouraged to attend the site performances.

This year’s recitals are scheduled for December 12, 2011 and for May 22, 2012.

Instructors

Music Mentors are recruited from the Debut Orchestra and YMF Alumni musicians. The Music Mentors Pedagogy Director and the YMF Programs Manager review applications, with additional input provided by the Lead Music Mentor.  Selection is based on an exemplary record with the Debut Orchestra, professional experiences, prior teaching experience, recommendations from college faculty, successful interview, and the ability to recognize and encourage creativity in children.  As emerging professionals, Music Mentors pursue advanced degrees in music and work experiences throughout the Southern California arts and entertainment community. They are able to offer themselves as positive role models for the program’s target population.  Prior to assignment in the fall, Music Mentors participate in an annual orientation and professional development workshops presented by our Pedagogy Director, Lisa Schaeffer, who provides ongoing supervision.

Lauren Kosty, percussion	Lauren Kosty is an LA native who freelances and performs regularly with the Santa Monica Symphony, Robin Cox Ensemble, and Brentwood Westwood Symphony.  She has also appeared on the American Music Awards and with Cirque du Soleil.  As an educator Lauren teaches percussion at the Harvard Westlake School and is a Music Mentor for the Young Musicians Foundation.  Lauren attended the University of Southern California as well as Carnegie Mellon University studying with Timothy Adams of the Pittsburgh Symphony and John Wilson of the Benny Goodman Band.
Melody Lee, violin	Melody Lee is originally from Vancouver, Canada. She started playing the violin when she was 6 years old, and since then has won many local and provincial competitions. She has also performed as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. Melody completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the Colburn Conservatory in downtown Los Angeles, and is now in her first year of an Artist Diploma. In her spare time, she loves to cook and explore the food scene in LA.
Jonah Levy, trumpet	Jonah is from San Francisco, CA but has been living in Los Angeles for two years.  He is an alumnus of the Eastman School of Music and California Institute of the Arts, and is now studying at the Colburn Conservatory in downtown LA.  Jonah plays all types of music, from jazz to klezmer to rock, has a budding career in the recording industry, and is currently the principal trumpet of the American Youth Symphony.
Jane Parkes, choir	Jane Parkes joined her first choir in middle school and has been singing ever since. She graduated from Yale in 2010 where she sang for four years with the Yale Women’s Slavic Chorus. She currently works in the Early Education program at the UCLA Lab School and is hoping to pursue a career in teaching.
Jay Rubottom, double bass / electric bass	Jay has been involved with YMF since 2007, first as a double bassist for the YMF Debut Orchestra and, beginning this year, the YMF Young Artist Mentor Program. Jay is a graduate of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studied with Los Angeles Philharmonic principal bassist Chris Hanulik, and recently completed his graduate studies at CSU Northridge with LA Phil assistant principal bass Oscar Meza.
Sam Sachnoff, acoustic guitar	Sam Sachnoff started learning piano at the age of three from his father, who played Jazz and Ragtime in New Orleans.  At twelve his focus shifted to guitar, and he began performing regularly for Buddhist gatherings and community festivals. A fan of all genres of music, Sam has played guitar in groups with styles ranging from world, jazz, blues, rock, folk and anywhere in-between.  After studying music and psychology at UCSC, he now records as a session guitarist and produces his own music as an independent artist.
Jonathan Terry, clarinet	Jonathan attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from UCLA for clarinet performance as well as graduate work at USC.  He has performed with ensembles such as YMF’s Debut Orchestra, the USC Thornton School of Music Wind Ensemble, the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as local orchestras from around the Los Angeles area.
Lisa Schaeffer, Pedagogy Director	Co-author of “A Comprehensive Approach to Curriculum Development,” Lisa Rosenthal Schaeffer has a long history of developing program curricula for nonprofit agencies. In addition to overseeing the implementation of the Music Mentors Program, Ms. Rosenthal Schaeffer currently works as an educational consultant for the UCLA Lab School, where she worked for many years as a Demonstration Teacher. She served for seven years as the Director of Pedagogy for Para Los Niños Early Childhood Services, Charter Elementary School and Gratts Primary Center, and has served as a guest lecturer for UCLA’s Graduate School of Education Teacher Education Program. Ms. Rosenthal Schaeffer has worked with early childhood teachers in a variety of schools, including the Lennox School District, to help design effective and engaging classroom environments.