Since 2004, we have served over 3,000 students across 10 programs. We changed our organization name from Elemental Strings to Elemental Music in 2016 to reflect the broad variety of programs offered. Our ensemble and lesson programs comprehensively address the needs of hundreds of motivated young musicians each season.

Most of our programs are ensemble-based:

Prelude (3rd–4th grade beginning strings)
Elemental Strings (3rd–5th grade intermediate and advanced string orchestra)
Academy Philharmonic (middle school full orchestra for advanced strings, winds and brass)
Academy Strings (middle school intermediate string orchestra)
Academy Winds (middle school intermediate wind ensemble)
Elemental Band (3rd–5th grade concert band for winds, brass and percussion)
Elemental Guitar (3rd–8th grade classical guitar ensembles for beginning to advanced students)
Elemental Choir (3rd–5th grade choir)
Chamber Music Institute (small instrumental ensembles for intermediate and advanced students in grades 6–12)

Our ensembles perform 3 concerts annually. Ensemble students also often take part in community performances at Little League games, local cafes, movie theaters, and even a residency at a senior living community.

We also have 1 private music lesson program:

Bergmann Program/Encore (4th–12th grade/ free, year-round private lessons to 90 socioeconomically disadvantaged SMMUSD students who could not otherwise afford this critical tool in a musician’s development)

In the 2022/23 season, we also launched three new programs:

Elemental Music Teaching Fellowship (a paid fellowship for college musicians in southern California to receive hands-on teaching experience in our Santa Monica ensemble programs, mentorship, and professional development training, with the goal of expanding representation of teachers from marginalized backgrounds in the music classroom)

Elemental @ Broadway (choirs for grades K–5 and string classes for grades 3–5 at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Broadway Elementary School)

Elemental @ Westminster (sequential in-school general music classes for grades 3–5 at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Title I Westminster Elementary)