The Purple Silk Music Education Foundation (PSMEF) is a nonprofit arts organization in Oakland, California. PSMEF’s mission is “to instill in young people an appreciation of music from different cultures through instruction in traditional Chinese Instruments, opera, and folk songs.” To fulfill this mission, PSMEF provides music education to underserved children and youth (grades K-12) in Oakland and San Francisco, offering them opportunities to train with professional musicians, increase their musical knowledge and proficiency, and perform for their community.

PSMEF was founded in 1995 when Sherlyn Chew, then a music teacher at Lincoln Elementary School and instructor of Chinese music at Laney College (a public 2-year college), both in Oakland, started a Chinese music program at Lincoln to respond to cuts in school arts funding. PSMEF became a nonprofit in 1998 and now has an Artistic Director (Chew), a Music Director (Victor Siu), and seven contract artists, all experts in and professional performers of Chinese music. Guest artists regularly contribute to the program through special learning units, presenting artist demos and rehearsing and performing with PSMEF’s Chinese music youth orchestra.