The Artistic Mission of Los Angeles Music Week

Fulfilling the motto, "An Instrument of Unity, " Los Angeles Music Week serves all the residents of the Greater Los Angeles area, including its surrounding basins.  The performances, projects and events impact people of diverse cultures, ages, ethnicities, religions and socio- economic groups.  The scope of events offers Angelenos opportunities to hear musical genres that they have never experienced and invites them to explore venues in various parts of the city.   The educational activities of LAMW are enabled in elementary, middle  and high schools through various interactive resources.   LAMW takes an active role in Los Angeles' cultural tourism industry by offering a wide variety of performances that showcase the city's musical heritage.

 Due to the drastic cutbacks in music curricula in schools over the past decade, the majority of the city's children know little or nothing about the rich musical heritage of the city they live in and have no scope of the musical genres available to them, from classical to jazz to ethnic musics.  Many children have very few musical skills or lack the resources for acquiring them.  LAMW's program elements, such as field trips, in-school presentations and opportunities to interface with living musical legends, broaden musical understanding and have created musical bridges between the communities over the  past six years.  The  sponsors and partnerships listed on this page dutifully enable LAMW  to accomplish the educational goals and facilitate field trips for the school children in order to link music with other aspects of culture and learning.  The children derive so much pride and motivation from learning how many famous musicians from all aspects of the music business grew up in their own communities.    Face-to-face dialogue with successful living legends gives them the impetus to explore their own God-given talents and capabilities, inspiring them to learn.   The Children's Day field trips open up a world of amazing wonder and possibility.   In the words of Founder/Executive Director Margie Evans describing the 1999 Children's Day event, "Serious joy was had by these wonderful children."  One parent, accompanying her child to the California Science Museum trip, commented, "This is what it's all about, giving children a chance to succeed."  During the 2001 LAMW celebration at the Warner Grand Theatre, selected schools were elated to receive a cash donation of $500 for their music departments, while parents, honorees and children raved about everything from the musical performances, to the unique LAMW  t-shirts provided by Target,  to the superbly tasty sub sandwiches from the Busy Bee in San Pedro.