YOUTH ORCHESTRA LOS ANGELES GUSTAVO DUDAMEL Music Director
T A ? H A W YOL IS YOLA changes lives one child, one family, one community at a time. Through Gustavo Dudamel’s Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) program – inspired by Venezuela’s revolutionary El Sistema – the LA Phil and its community partners provide free instruments, intensive music training, and academic support to students from underserved neighborhoods, enabling every child to contribute using their full potential.
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The orchestra is a perfect metaphor – Gustavo Dudamel for the community.
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Gustavo Dudamel at the launch of YOLA at HOLA
A L YOEXPOR @ENTE C The YOLA program at EXPO Center, part of Exposition Park in South L.A., has grown to include three orchestras, a preschool program, mentorship, group lessons, chamber music, and parent ensembles. The program serves hundreds of students who attend four days each week. In addition, students perform annually at Walt Disney Concert Hall and have appeared multiple times on the iconic stage of the Hollywood Bowl.
YOLA at EXPO is a partnership of the LA Phil, The Harmony Project, and the EXPO Center, a City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks facility.
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This program has had a huge impact on my life, instilling pride, confidence and leadership skills.
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– Daniel, age 16
A L YOHOL A @
Located in the Rampart District, YOLA at HOLA (Heart of Los Angeles) serves hundreds of students with intensive after-school orchestral instruction five days a week. Classes include music creativity, singing and solfège, ensemble rehearsals, and an hour of academic tutoring daily. This holistic approach fosters a sense of community and provides the students with the opportunity to take advantage of HOLA’s exceptional programs and resources.
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I have grown in YOLA – learning to be a better leader, role model, and musician. Music is in every subject. Being here, I know that I won’t get left behind. – Alison, age 10
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YOLA at HOLA is a partnership between the LA Phil and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA).
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This program has given my family a bigger sense of commitment to our children’s future.
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– Jorge, parent
Building Communities through Music The YOLA Neighborhood Project (YNP) aims to build healthy communities through universal access to music. In South L.A. and the Rampart District, school-day residencies inspire local students to join YOLA; local parent ensembles provide families with the opportunity to learn music; and LA Phil neighborhood concerts allow the community at large to experience one of the world’s greatest orchestras in their own backyard. Each year, YNP culminates in a joint performance of over 1,000 children from partner schools and YOLA – demonstrating the immense power and joy of musical collaboration.
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Nearly 800 kindergarten & 1st grade students perform for the HOLA community.
5,000
local students
10,000+
members of the local communities of South L.A. and Rampart
When children receive instruments, they have a new ability to dream. They realize they are a critical part of something larger. This ripple effect empowers a community through orchestras – diverse, meaningful outlets for artistic and cultural expression.
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– Deborah Borda, LA Phil President & CEO
LA Phil School Partners Foshay Learning Center and West Adams Preparatory perform for the EXPO community.
TAKE A STAND Just as YOLA has captured the imagination of so many, the inspiration of El Sistema has spread across the United States. To support this burgeoning movement, the LA Phil has formed an innovative partnership with two renowned institutions: the Longy School of Music and Bard College. This bi-coastal alliance launched Take a Stand, a national initiative that supports social change through music. Take a Stand’s key project areas are: ANNUAL CONFERENCES for field-wide learning and the MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING IN MUSIC Degree Program, situated in L.A. on the campus of YOLA at HOLA. take-a-stand.org
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Take a Stand…will provide a platform of regular conferences and workshops for pioneering classical music educators…and will develop a pool of artistically accomplished, socially conscious music teachers. – Los Angeles Times
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Investing in Los Angeles:
LA PHIL EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS The LA Phil’s education and community initiatives provide many points of access through which K-12 students and their families can engage in the appreciation and creation of music. Serving over 120,000 people from across Los Angeles’ socioeconomic spectrum, the programs include in-school residencies, after-school instrumental instruction, specially designed youth and community concerts, intensive training for high school composers, and programs for L.A.-area youth orchestras. These programs intersect with YOLA: high school composers write music for YOLA’s orchestras, in-school residencies target schools surrounding YOLA, and the annual Youth Orchestra Festival includes all YOLA students. LAPhil.com/Education
Take a Stand is a partnership of the LA Phil, Bard College, and the Longy School of Music.
SUPPORT YOLA LAPhil.com/YOLA GIVE Support the future of YOLA and the LA Phil’s education and community programs.
LEARN Find tools to take action in YOLA’s Resource Library.
JOIN Connect with like-minded individuals and organizations through the YOLA Stakeholder Network.
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Music is a fundamental human right.
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– Gustavo Dudamel
THANK YOU!
Leadership support for the LA Phil’s education initiatives is provided by Fidelity Investments, the Annenberg Foundation, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, Amgen Foundation, Rose Hills Foundation, Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Walt Disney Company, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Eisner Foundation, and the Lee and Hope Landis Warner YOLA Student Fund.