Herb Alpert Foundation Gives $300,000 to LACC Music Department
The Herb Alpert Foundation has awarded a $300,000 grant to the Los Angeles City College Foundation to benefit the LACC Music Department. The funds will be used to support students and programs for the 2013-2015 academic years.
The grant, from the Foundation created by seven-time, Grammy‐winning musician and A&M Records co-founder, Herb Alpert, is the largest gift ever bestowed upon LACC’s Music Department and the first to provide support beyond financial aid. This new funding opportunity will support significant scholarships, as well as enhancing the curriculum and providing critical maintenance of instruments and related computer equipment. Talented, highly motivated students, designated as Herb Alpert Scholars, will have their educational expenses and academic needs supported for two years.
“My goal with the Foundation has always been to help level the playing field and create opportunities for talented young people. My brother David attended LACC and our family has supported the college for over two decades. I’ve seen firsthand how critical LACC is to giving young people the tools they need to succeed. The diversity of the student body is amazing. There is a culture of inclusivity that reaches out beyond the population of local high school graduates to include Veterans, working parents and foster youth,” noted Herb Alpert, the multi-faceted musician, artist and philanthropist.
Many of the scholarship students will be part of the Applied Music Transfer program that guarantees them entry into a four-year California State University or Applied Music Transfer program, entering as juniors into any four-‐year university or music conservatory. Students can qualify for the program by demonstrating talent in instrument, voice, or composition categories. This grant will allow the LACC Music Department to double the size of its Applied Music program that provides individualized music instruction.
The Herb Alpert Foundation has supported scholarships at LACC for the past 22 years. The new grant will stabilize and help to grow a music program that has historically been and will continue to be a dynamic resource for Los Angeles’ diverse, multi‐generational communities.
