LAMusArt Hosts Members of the YPAB for Student For A Day

On Saturday February 25th, 2017 14 members of our Young Professionals Advisory Board (YPAB) visited LAMusArt for a day of classes in music, art, and dance alongside current LAMusArt students. This is LAMusArt’s second annual Student For A Day, following last year’s successful inaugural event in partnership with the Riordan Leadership Institute. The YPAB is a crucial group of benefactors who support the financial and programmatic needs of our tuition-free Choir. Student For A Day gives the members of the YPAB an inside look into what LAMusArt accomplishes on a daily basis, and an opportunity to become directly involved as ambassadors of our many arts education programs.

Our 2017 Student For A Day began with a Choir class led by Mr. Austin Chanu. Along with the Choir youngsters, members of the YPAB learned songs to be performed at the Broadway-themed Spring Concert in April, including “We’re All Made of Stars,” from Finding Neverland and “If Only You Would Listen,” from School Of Rock. “The songs were so great! You could tell the kids enjoy singing them. They definitely practiced before class!,” said Jasmine Ako, YPAB Chair and former Riordan Leadership Institute intern.

After the Choir lesson, the YPAB participated in a drawing and painting class with Ms. Zeina Baltagi, where they learned about the importance of color and how to create a color wheel with paint. The art lesson featured components of our beginner’s art class, ART I, focusing on fundamentals like composition, color mixing techniques, and application. The YPAB members completed the brief lesson with flying colors, pun intended!

The fun-filled day ended with a dance class led by Ms. Tahnee Cadrez and her jazz students. Students and members of the YPAB joined in on an energetic warm up, across-the-floor exercises, a performance by the jazz students, and some hip-hop choreography to Missy Elliot’s “Shake It Like a Pom Pom.” After the class, students introduced themselves to members of the YPAB and thanked them for their continued work to preserve the tuition-free programs.”Thank you for the Choir!” Marisol, age 11, exclaimed after meeting several members.

At the end of the day, the YPAB attended a reception at Pour House in the Los Angeles Arts District to celebrate their day of creativity, and to discuss future plans for leadership and engagement at LAMusArt.

Student For A Day was not only a great opportunity for the Young Professionals Advisory Board to see first-hand what LAMusArt students learn each week, but a fantastic chance for our students to meet the supporters who work tirelessly to raise awareness and financial support for the programs they benefit from. LAMusArt was happy to host such a special day!

To learn more about the Young Professionals Advisory Board, please visit us here.