Elemental Music

We are almost done uploading videos from all of our final concerts but here are a few candids from our final Prelude and Elemental Strings concert of the season to hold you over! So many smiles and wonderful musical moments. We are so proud of these students!

Scroll allllll the way to the end for a little idea of what our musicians did backstage to pass the time during sound checks…. It’s a little game called Hide the Rosin where students play louder or softer based on whether the seeker is closer or further from the hidden rosin. 😂

Some candids from our Elemental Guitar and Elemental Choir concert a couple weeks ago! Watching these students grow as musicians and performers over the course of a year is one of the great privileges of this work. This final concert was made even more special by the fact that our singers got to premiere a new piece composed by our choral teaching fellow Michael “Sayuva” Torres, who also conducted the song! 💛

We had SO much fun at our final Academy Winds and Elemental Band concert this season. The final concerts are such joyous occasions. It truly is wonderful to hear all of the progress our musicians made over the year and to see the pride on their faces when they get to share their music with family and friends! Want to play with us next season? Link in bio for more info!

🔥🦆 Tomorrow night! Join us for a free recital at the Elemental Music campus by the Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies, one of our Chamber Music Institute ensembles.

Sadie, Miko, and Daniel have played together for four seasons through our Chamber Music Institute. As one member prepares to graduate from high school this month, they’re celebrating their years of friendship and music-making with a special concert.

Hear works by , Astor Piazzolla, Aram Khachaturian, Darius Milhaud, and more.

📅 Friday, June 5
🕖 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
🎟️ Free admission
☕ Light refreshments provided

Come celebrate these remarkable young musicians and see what our Chamber Music Institute is all about. All ages are welcome!

Longtime Elemental Music student Sadie has always felt like music was her community, so she chose to celebrate her 16th birthday in the most fitting way possible: with a concert benefiting Elemental Music. 🥹

It’s so inspiring to see our students channel their musicianship into something bigger. For Sadie, that meant using her artistry to give back and create opportunities for more young musicians to experience our programs. THANK YOU to Sadie and her generous and enthusiastic audience, who raised $1,000 for our programs!

Swipe for moments from the birthday concert and dress rehearsal candids. The evening featured a special performance by the Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies, one of our Chamber Music Institute ensembles!

Follow the link to read about the concert, Sadie’s inspiration for the event, and more 💫: https://www.elementalmusic.org/news/2026/5/4/a-birthday-benefit-concert-for-elemental-music

Our final Musical Journeys event of the year is almost here! Join us at Elemental Music’s campus on May 6 for a special conversation with Peter Wilson - violinist, conductor, and former Senior Enlisted Music Advisor to the White House.

Over a 30-year career as a Marine violinist, Peter performed in direct support of five U.S. Presidents. 🎻
He is currently the Music Director of the Richmond Philharmonic, the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director and Conductor of the American Festival Pops Orchestra. (And he will visit our Academy Philharmonic next week and work with our students as a guest conductor!)

Don’t miss this chance to hear stories from an extraordinary life in music at this free talk! RSVP and save your seat at the link in our bio. 🎶

You guys...is there anything cuter than a teeny tiny violin being played by a teeny tiny human? Ahhh! We had SO much fun at City of Santa Monica - Government's Arts & Literacy Festival hosting our Instrument Petting Zoo and meeting so many wonderful families!

We are also so proud of our Elemental Strings orchestras. Both Sinfonia and Chamber Music performed on the A&L stage and shared their music with our wider Santa Monica community, inspiring the many young children who were there watching! Thank you to the Arts & Literacy organizers for having us back for another great year at the festival. 💛🎶

It is really something special to see a spark and passion for music ignited. This elementary schooler had the chance to try conducting the orchestra last week at Elemental Strings. “You did such a great job, maybe you’ll become a conductor someday!” said one of her teachers afterwards.

“I’m thinking about it!” replied the student enthusiastically. 🥹💙
music want to come visit Santa Monica? There are some young musicians here ready to be inspired!

Our Broadway Chorus and Elemental Choir singers had the chance to perform at the Honor Chorus Festival at the end of March. It was such fun for our musicians to sing with students from around Southern California and share in the joy of making music together. And, we are so proud that three of the four soloists for the performance that day came from Elemental Music programs!

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month and we’re still smiling from our Volunteer Appreciation lunch yesterday! 🥰 We are so grateful for this incredible community of supporters. From making our concerts run smoothly, lending a hand around our campus, and helping bring our gala to life, to serving on committees and even guiding our organization as dedicated board members, there are so many ways our families and friends show up for Elemental Music.

🎶 Your time, energy, and care make everything we do possible. THANK YOU for being such an essential part of our community. We make great music TOGETHER!