About Us
Our Mission
The Los Angeles Music and Art School (LAMusArt) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to offer the community of East Los Angeles, primarily its K-12 population, with equitable and affordable access to multidisciplinary arts education programs.
The services we provide as a cornerstone of arts education are integral to the community’s cultural identity. Since its founding in 1945 by Ms. Pearle Irene Odell, LAMusArt has served over 100,000 students, employed over 200 Teaching Artists, and provided over 2,000,000 lessons.
Why We Exist
On the surface, our services provide opportunities for students to receive an arts education, but on a deeper level, our programs provide an outlet for creative expression, an alternative to involvement in high-risk behavior, a safe place to develop skills and confidence, and a means to a successful future.
We believe affordable and accessible arts education programs work to benefit the students and the community by expanding one’s world outlook, sharpening one’s creative skills, and contributing to one’s social, behavioral, and academic development.
What We Do
LAMusArt provides affordable, multidisciplinary and sequential arts instruction in music, visual art, dance, and drama during non-school hours to predominantly K-12 students residing in the greater East Los Angeles area. We offer tuition-subsidized and tuition-free lessons, as well as private and group lessons. Programming is offered Mondays through Thursdays from 2pm- 8pm and on Saturdays from 8am-6pm in our 11,000 square foot facility that features 20 classrooms, 4 multi-purpose rooms, and a recording studio.
Arts education programs are often the first to be cut when public school funding is limited, leaving many students without equal access to an arts education. Although engagement in the arts alone cannot be an indicating factor of the future success of students, studies have shown that immersion in creative arts programs can enhance aspects of students’ overall personal, academic, and professional lives (Arts Education Partnership). We provide the opportunities and resources needed to supplement a full and successful life of artistic engagement.