Education Program

A Patchwork of Cultures:

Exploring The Sephardic-Latino Connection

The LAJS Education Outreach Program, “A Patchwork of Cultures: Exploring the Sephardic-Latino Connection,” annually serves approximately 1,100 students, grades 4 and 5, in Los Angeles public schools in low-income areas (over 90% are eligible for the free lunch program) with a significant Latino population severely under-served in arts programming; parochial schools, whose students have little or no knowledge of Jewish heritage or traditions; and Jewish day schools.

The project serves as a cultural bridge for these children, whose communities share a common musical and cultural heritage from Spain, and promotes understanding and respect for diversity. Participating teachers have called it “the Ladino-Latino connection.”

COVID-19 UPDATE

Due to the ongoing pandemic and evolving guidelines from both LAUSD and LA County Public Health, we have developed our education program to be accessible as a virtual video series that can be administered by classroom teachers during the spring semester. Our workshops are now available in both in-class and virtual forms, and we are committed to working with teachers and schools to meet the needs of their classrooms.

We remain dedicated to providing school-age children with affordable access to culture and music, at a time when these programs are being systematically removed from public school curriculum. We look forward to engaging students with the arts, and continuing to promote tolerance among the multitude of cultures that comprise our community.

In 2018 we began a successful collaboration with Fuente Latina, a nonprofit whose mission is promoting positive media coverage of Jewish events and organizations to Latino news outlets. Our partnership has enabled us to spread the word about our education program and engage with more members of the Spanish-speaking community.

Media Coverage

From Fuente Latina, Univision, LAThisWeek and Jewish Life Television

Virtual Program

We’ve been presenting our education outreach program, A Patchwork of Cultures: Exploring the Sephardic-Latino Connection, for over a decade and are thrilled to have adapted our curriculum to serve virtual classrooms across LA County!

Our program, usually presented through in-class workshops to 4th and 5th graders, has been reimagined for the virtual classroom to include LAJS Teaching Artists, guest speakers, interactive games, short videos, orchestra clips and the creation of a personalized piece of artwork by each student.

WHAT DO OUR PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS RECEIVE?

  • Six 10- to 15-minute lesson modules that include interactive games, guest speakers, LAJS archival concert footage and guest musical performances
  • One teacher guide book per classroom that includes additional activities and discussion points
  • One digital CD that includes recordings of all songs included in the lessons, as well as individual musical instrument samples
  • A culminating virtual “art gallery” featuring student artwork created during the program
  • A culminating streamed concert performed by the full Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, featuring music from the lessons and interactive dialogue with Dr. Noreen Green

Reviews for A Patchwork of Cultures

WHAT THE TEACHERS SAY:

For our students, music truly brings all cultures together – they LOVED the experience!

—Lenore Rukasin, LAJS Board Member, and Intervention Teacher at Cohasset Elementary School

The students learn how to dance, to play instruments and to live together with people that are different from them. They are exposed to people with different cultures and people that have different traditions, but they all have music in common.

–Bernie Contreras, Teacher at Vaughn Next Century Learning Center

The students had a wonderful experience! They came back talking about music and how exciting it was to play instruments in the petting zoo.

–Mrs. Aguilar, Teacher at Columbus Avenue Elementary

My school was so appreciative and the kids really had their eyes opened to a whole new world of music. It means so much to me because it’s something I didn’t get as a child. This is good work that LAJS is doing and I am so proud to be part of it.

—Axel Oliva, “After School” Arts Program Leader at St. Agnes Parish School

WHAT THE MUSICIANS SAY:

We draw and move to the music and each child creates an art project reflecting the journey. The program awakens and relates the senses, and inspires artistic and cultural spirit. The children experience the creative process and celebrate life’s ups and downs in their compositions. They find strength and poetry in their lives. Education doesn’t get any better than this!

—Leslie Lashinsky, LAJS Teaching Artist

Being a Teaching Artist for the Symphony is one of the most special things I’ve done with my life. The children are so receptive to everything!

—Beth Dror, LAJS Teaching Artist

It is not just a concert for the kids, it is an experience for them, and they’re able to share it with other kids that don’t speak the same language and that come from another culture. Through music they find a connection. We are not building walls but creating connections, communication.
–Cantor Marcelo Gindlin

WHAT THE VOLUNTEERS SAY:

Some of us have been volunteering from the very first year and what keeps us coming back is the excitement and sparkle we see not only in the children as they participate in all parts of the experience, but also the appreciation from their teachers and the enjoyment of the seniors who also attend. The LAJS has come up with not only a great intercultural program, but one that spans and benefits the generations!

—Helen Madrid-Worthen, President, Hispanic Jewish Women’s Alliance

The LA Jewish Symphony program is so awe-inspiring. It’s such an incredible pleasure to see the joy in the children’s faces while they are trying the instruments and when they see their own handiwork on the walls. To see (and not hear a peep) when the orchestra is playing and when the conductor talks about the music and the instruments is so beautiful to behold. And who can help laughing deep from our souls when the kids get up to dance to the Mexican Hat Dance? Working with the kids and other volunteers fills me with such elation – which tends to stay with me for days!

—Evelyn Perl, Volunteer

WHAT THE STUDENTS SAY:

THIS YEAR’S PATCH COLLECTION!

Sponsors

We are deeply grateful to these generous sponsors of A Patchwork of Cultures: Exploring the Sephardic-Latino Connection:

Baxter-Northup Music Co., City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Gelson’s, Hennings-Fischer Foundation, Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, Jewish Music Commission of LA, Kashper Family Foundation, Langer Juice Company, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Philanthropic Committee for the Arts, Maurice Amado Foundation, Max Factor Family Foundation, Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation, Milken Family Foundation, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Trader Joes, US Bancorp and Western Bagel.

Transportation assistance generously provided by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and City Council members Paul Krekorian  and Monica Rodriguez.

This organization is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs

This program is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture.