USC Thornton Outreach is a diverse and extensive music education-oriented program that provides unique learning opportunities for children in the local community, as well as significant service-learning opportunities for USC Thornton students. Each year, over 50 USC Thornton students and over 6,000 children in the local community participate in the program.
Last semester, we asked with three students involved with USC Thornton Outreach’s efforts to bring music education back into the classroom and community to speak about their experiences. Watch the videos below to see the many different ways USC Thornton students are sharing their talents with those in need.
To learn more about USC Thornton Outreach, please visit the program’s website.
Katie Gavin
Katie Gavin, a rising senior in the Popular Music Program, first began working with the USC Thornton Outreach Program as a sophomore. She currently serves as a music instructor at 32nd Street School, where she teaches elementary school students songwriting and beginning guitar.
Nuriel Abdenur
Nuriel Abdenur, a sophomore in the Vocal Arts program, first began working with the USC Thornton Outreach Program this year. She currently serves as a singing instructor at several elementary schools throughout the neighborhoods of West Adams and University Park for both the Thornton Outreach and USC Thornton JazzReach programs.
Rachael Yokers
Rachael Yokers is a graduate student studying Flute Performance and a fellow in the USC Thornton Gluck Fellows Program — an initiative sponsored by the Max H. Gluck Foundation and part of the wider USC Thornton Outreach Programs.
Gluck Fellows provide performances free of charge to audiences representative of the diverse cultural fabric of Los Angeles at a number of venues including: health care facilities, neighborhood community centers, libraries and similar locations. The performances, which are given by small ensembles of fellows, generally take place in communities traditionally underserved by local arts programs.