our mission

Elemental Music celebrates music-making and builds community through exceptional youth education programs.

OUR VALUES

Community: Elemental Music believes that music brings people together, creating a diverse community of students, parents, teachers, and audience members. Musical experiences help people realize our shared humanity.

Diversity and Inclusion: Elemental Music believes in music programs that welcome every child, from every background and at all levels. Through participation in music education programs, students can find a unique sense of belonging, affirming their human dignity and sense of self-worth.

Equity: Elemental Music believes that every child has great potential and should have access to high quality music education that allows them to realize what is possible. We believe in breaking down barriers and systems that prevent students of all races and backgrounds from developing and nurturing musical skill and talent.

Excellence: Elemental Music believes that high standards provide inspiration and support for our students. We believe that providing students with high-quality training, musically and technically, helps them best harness the power of music as a vehicle for self-expression and self-confidence.

The transformative power of music: Elemental Music believes music has the ability to change our understanding of, and our connection to, the world. We believe that music creates a culture of lifelong learning, and that the practice of music helps to build a world where empathy, grit, and determination are valued. We believe that music as an artform introduces people to new ideas and ways of thinking, expanding our conceptions of ourselves, our community, and the world around us.

As a part of multiple conversations on many levels, the organization recently developed our first Cultural Equity and Inclusion Statement and Policy, as well as our first Racial Equity Statement.

We are committed to the following:

Cultural Equity Statement & Policy
Racial Equity Statement

OUR HISTORY

In 2004, a Santa Monica organization called the Maestro Foundation wanted to fund a project to support local young musicians. Maestro turned to a local professional musician for help, who connected them with Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District orchestra teacher Peter Park. Mr. Park couldn’t believe what Maestro was offering him: the chance to decide just what their project to support music students might be!

As an orchestra teacher, Mr. Park had seen first hand the benefits of a musical education: growing self-confidence, increased creativity, and the way that friendships could be formed across the music stand. How could he make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? 

Finally, after much thought, Mr. Park came up with an idea: create an afterschool youth orchestra designed specifically for elementary school students - an ensemble that would not only provide excellent musical training, but would also plant the seed for a lifelong love of music early on and inspire generations of future musicians!

With the support of the Maestro Foundation and a small dedicated team of teachers, ready to nurture the musical talents of a new generation of string players, Mr. Park’s vision came to life and Elemental Strings was born. Every Friday, at the end of the school week, 25 elementary students from schools across Santa Monica made the trek to rehearsals at Lincoln Middle School, arriving wide-eyed and excited with the instruments in hand. Rehearsals were filled with excitement over new pieces, giggles with new friends who were once strangers at snack time, and the occasional screech of a string instrument as students honed their skills. Maestro Foundation founder Aaron Mendelsohn hosted the final concert of the season in his own home – a celebratory showcase of the students’ hard work, complete with a backyard BBQ and a pool party.

Over the next 5 years, the program grew quickly - more students joined each season, and the love of music was ignited as more and more young musicians decided to continue their musical studies in middle school and beyond. With the Maestro Foundation’s encouragement, Elemental Strings acquired their own 501c3 status in 2010 and continued to expand. When Mr. Park moved on to teach for another school district, he handed the reins over to Dr. Jo (Elemental Music’s current Executive & Artistic Director) and Kirsten Bersch, two of the original Elemental Strings teachers who remained committed to the vision of inspiring, training, and nurturing young musicians.

After over a decade, we are now much more than a single after-school orchestra. The organization has grown to include programs for strings, band, choir, guitar, full orchestra, and chamber music, and even private lesson programs for qualified students. Students of all ages - elementary, middle, and even high school - can find a home in our programs. All of this growth also resulted in a name change: Elemental Music. 

While the organization looks a little different these days, the heart of its mission remains the same: to build and nourish an empathetic and diverse community through music programs that can feed the soul. Every programming expansion has been designed to inspire and bring together young people of all backgrounds and experiences through the transformative power of music.

Over 3,000 young musicians have participated in Elemental Music programs since 2004. While the final concerts may no longer be hosted in a private home, and 300 students participate annually instead of just 25, our rehearsals are still filled with the same laughter and sounds of music-making as they were 20 years ago.