The mission of SAPPA (the Scholarship Audition Performance Preparatory Academy) is to provide high quality music education programs for children, youth, and seniors in low-income areas of Los Angeles. Our programs for minority and at-risk youth are designed to build their character, self-esteem, and discipline while stimulating their aspirations to excellence and their competitive spirit. We demonstrate that inner-city youth can rise to the highest level of accomplishment if they are given the opportunity, the support, and the expectation to excel. Our programs for seniors are designed to engage their minds and bodies by playing music, with the goal of keeping them mentally and physically active while lifting their emotional spirits. While such programs are common at senior centers in wealthier communities, they are rare in the very low income neighborhoods that SAPPA is serving.