Over a Century of Inspiring Harmonies and Transforming Lives

When the Lalin Family’s four school-aged children get restless, they don’t watch television or browse social media, they play music together.

“You should see us jamming at home, we have such a good time,” says Clarissa, the oldest at 15, who plays the flute.

All four of the Lalin kids found their love of music while being trained and nurtured at the Neighborhood Music School located in a historic Queen Anne Victorian in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Since it was founded in 1914 as a settlement house, the music school has maintained the tradition of providing free and low-cost one-on-one music lessons to multicultural community neighbors regardless of cost for over a hundred years. 

Typically, private musical instruction is very costly, and learning to play an instrument requires a deep financial investment, according to Karen Louis, the school’s executive director. The Neighborhood Music School removes financial barriers to musical development by offering a strategically affordable tuition (starting at $68/mo), as well as a Student Scholarship Program that provides a sliding-scale tuition discount of 20% to 95%. The school gives out $70,000 worth of scholarships per year. 

Learning to play a musical instrument can be life changing. A Northwestern University study (from their Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory) reflects what the science world has been touting: musical training can change brain structure and function for the better. It can improve long-term memory and lead to enhanced reading ability for those who start young. There are similar stellar benefits for adults.

“Whether you’re 6 or 76, we provide the tools to help folks grow and develop musically no matter what, regardless of the family budget,” Louis says. “It’s not just about the music instruction, it’s about the connection of the community and the mentorship with the teaching artist.”

The school enrolls roughly 350 students, employs 22 teaching artists, and has six recitals a year. The school also provides tuition-free group classes to the community, including a class on early childhood music and movement, a music jam for beginners, and a songwriting course.

“My kids have developed their passion for music here and it has shaped them musically,” Adelaida Lalin says.

The Lalin children – Clarissa, 13-year-old budding songwriter, pianist Jacob, 12-year-old violinist Sofia, and 8-year-old singer/piano player Nathalia – would not have been able to take music lessons without the largesse, dedication, and passion of those at the Neighborhood Music School. 

This passion extends to their board as well. Germaine Franco, a Neighborhood Music School board member, who won a 2023 Grammy for composing the score of Disney’s animated film Encanto, took students this past spring to Walt Disney Concert Hall to sing songs she wrote from the Disney-Pixar movie Coco with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

“This school creates this amazing environment for the kids to grow and to develop as musicians,” says Alex Lalin, the
children’s father.