David Sandoval is a dedicated 23-year-old musician who has been a part of the Los Angeles Music and Art School since April 2016. Reflecting on his start at LAMusArt, David shared, “I enrolled at LAMusArt when I was 15 years old. When I first enrolled at the school, I initially only started with a few classes, the orchestra, jazz ensemble, and only two private lessons.” He adds that he began his musicianship under the direction of Austin Chanu, “Austin was my vocal and saxophone teacher. He was the orchestra and jazz director at the time when I first began as a student at LAMusArt.”
Since his first days at LAMusArt, David has explored a wide range of classes. He says, “I have taken various classes at LAMusArt over the years…my list of LAMusArt courses has grown to include trumpet, cello, music composition, piano, percussion, mariachi, and choir.” For David, one class stands out above the rest: “If I had to pick a favorite class, I’d say it had to be the music composition class offered back in January 2024. That was because I was able to compose my very first song, which was entitled, ‘The McNugget Man Dance.’ Even better was when I first started to learn how to properly use notation software, and the software we used in class was Musescore.”
David speaks highly of the instructors at LAMusArt and he finds it difficult to choose a single favorite, “Most of the staff that I’ve worked with here have been overall amazing.” He mentions a few names that have made an impression: “You’ve got the really cool ones like Brendan White, Isaac Johnson, Isaac Lopez, Jonathan Perez, and my trumpet teacher, Emily Nastelin, and most recently, Matthew De La Torre.” The teachers at LAMusArt have not only taught him musical techniques but meaningful life skills.
“One of the most important things they’ve taught me, specifically Matt, was how to prepare for the real world as a musician,” he explains. “Although it overwhelms me to think about the number of steps I’d have to take to become a professional musician, I would still have to give the teaching staff at LAMusArt credit, because it will all eventually be true that it isn’t easy becoming a professional musician right off the bat.”
David’s favorite memory at LAMusArt is performing his composition, “The McNugget Man Dance,” for the first time. “To be quite honest, my favorite memory at LAMusArt has been when I got to take the song I composed in the composition class for a test run, which I successfully did on August 10, 2024,” David says. David’s composition was well-received at LAMusArt’s Tuition-Free Music Ensembles Summer Concert, Summer Sounds, where his composition was performed byLAMusArt’s tuition-free Orchestra. “I remembered receiving a standing ovation for my composition when the orchestra was finished playing my song,” he says. “It was the best memory so far because it left so much joy in my heart that mostly a lot of people liked listening to ‘The McNugget Man Dance.’ It’s a love song I wrote about my favorite feel-good food, hence the name.”
David’s musical studies extend beyond LAMusArt. He says, “Currently, I’m enrolled in my school’s choir, as well as in my Harmony 1 and Musicianship courses at Los Angeles City College.” David has also found new artistic expression through acting and comments, “I am currently taking an intro level acting class, after attending theater rehearsals with a previous group, which was an all blind acting troupe called, ‘Theater by the Blind,’ who are currently based out of Culver City.”
Outside of music, David enjoys exploring the city and shares that, “During my spare time, one of the things I like to do is to visit the Glendale Galleria, which is known for its amazing shops and restaurants.” For David, the Galleria is more than just a mall: “For me, the Glendale Galleria serves as a place for me to escape the outside world for a bit.” He also loves riding the Metro lines around Los Angeles, often stopping at Pershing Square and exploring theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios.
When asked about the importance of art, David believes the arts are essential for self-expression: “I think the arts are very important because it allows people to express themselves in very creative ways. I especially think it’s important with music,” he explains, “You can express a wide range of emotions…when composing song lyrics, or by composing a melody with a bunch of different harmonies.”
Over his years at LAMusArt, David has made remarkable progress. “I’ve been a student here for at least 8 years now, and if you compare me to how I was back then to how I am right now, back then I wasn’t, for instance, very good at playing the trumpet properly,” he reflects. As a blind musician, he has learned to play by ear, a skill he continues to develop, “I’ve gotten better and better at playing by ear, as that’s the primary method I use to learn new material provided at LAMusArt.”
Looking forward, David dreams of becoming a country musician. “When I grow up, I would like to be a professional country musician. I’ve been inspired by artists such as Johnny Cash, Allan Jackson, and Trisha Yearwood to name a few,” he explains. He feels that LAMusArt has prepared him for this career, saying, “Some of the things that I’ve learned at LAMusArt over time have helped me because I have been able to, for example, project my voice much louder with the help of my vocal teacher.”
For David, his time at LAMusArt has been a source of pride and growth as he proudly claims, “I am most proud of putting together a great career at LAMusArt. As mentioned above, I’ve spent a total of 8 years here, and have gotten involved with LAMusArt in more ways than one….It’s more impressive that I’ve been able to do that given the fact that I’m totally blind, because it’s enabled me to try playing by ear.”
When asked how he would encourage others to join LAMusArt, David replied, “If I could convince someone to come to LAMUSART, I would tell them that they’ve come to the right place. From my experience, I can tell you that every single teacher I’ve worked with at LAMusArt has been able to adapt to my needs when it comes to rehearsing or practicing music.” He especially encourages other blind musicians to pursue their dreams at LAMusArt: “I would tell people, especially other people in the blind community, that just because they can’t see, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have any excuse to not come to LAMusArt.”
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