Gordon Philanthropies supports the musical efforts of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) in Inglewood.

Gordon Philanthropies staff, along with 600 other attendees (many including proud parents), attended the students’ summer concert. YOLA students, wearing various animal ears’ headbands, delighted the audiences as they poured their hearts and souls into their amazing musical performance. The concert was a testament to the students dedication, commitment, and discipline, as well as their respect for their teachers, instruments, the audience, and one another, palpably demonstrating their spirit of kinship. If this is the result of learning to play a musical instrument, than every child should be able to have this opportunity at their fingertips.

YOLA which was founded in 2007 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was created with the mission of, “providing students with free instruments, intensive music instruction, academic support, and leadership training.” Serving over 1,700 students across five-sites, the program has been an incredible asset to the community exposing children to the world of music.

Tiffany DeCoursey, a proud parent, said, “I know Inglewood has a lot to be proud of, such as Sofi and the Forum, but YOLA is undeniably one of the city’s proudest achievement.” Thanks to YOLA, many children living in Inglewood now have access to lessons and instruments. The foundation mainly caters to children in low-income neighborhoods where the cost of private music lessons or purchasing a musical instrument would make it nearly impossible for a child to pursue music.

Now, you are probably questioning how is it that a literacy-based foundation and a music foundation cross paths. The truth is that while our foundations mission vastly differ, we are all connected through something greater, which is the desire to create life-changing opportunities for children where access to resources are limited.

Gordon Philanthropies fights so hard to place books in the hands of students without the financial means to purchase books because every aspect of our modern society requires strong reading skills. We know that in order for a child to be academically successful, strong reading and writing skills are a must. Our partnership with YOLA in Inglewood was specifically designed with the interests of music students in mind. Through a careful selection of books with a musical theme, YOLA students received over 500 books including,  Harlem’s Little Blackbird, The Bat Boy and His Violin, A Horn for Louis, among many other exciting books.

We thank the loving staff at YOLA, for the vibrant experience that intensified the audience’s spirit as the students performed their summer concert. We also extend our gratitude to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the vision and foresight to provide such a powerful and artistic life-changing experience for so many children. Thank for having Gordon Philanthropies be part of the magic and allow us to contribute to your musical and educational efforts.