In this season of Thanksgiving I’m reminded of the special place local churches have had in the formation of Musical Beginnings. They’ve supported our mission and our students by generously offering space, advertising, and encouragement in a myriad of ways over the years.
When I arrived in Los Angeles way back in the nineties, St. Anastasia Catholic Church let me put fliers on their bulletin board to build up my first roster of piano students. (Try to imagine no digital advertising.)
When I needed space to start my first toddler classes, Westchester Lutheran Church let me use a room once a week at no charge.
When Musical Beginnings was settled in its permanent home on 80th and Emerson but needed more space, Westchester United Methodist Church offered rooms in their Education Building and collaborate with us to this day to give us our beloved Annex.
When we needed more recital space than the El Segundo library could provide, Holy Nativity Episcopal Church opened the doors of their beautiful sanctuary to us several times a year and included us in their community events.
Now we are happy to be joining with Covenant Presbyterian Church and Preschool to co-host a Christmas Carol Singalong and ornament-making event in their hall on Dec. 6.
In every one of these collaborations, the church leaderships showed themselves to be gracious and community-minded, happy to offer space and energy to help a local arts organization and its families. Over the years I’ve noticed, in addition to their traditional Sunday services, how many programs these churches offer to the wider community—bread baking and singalongs and drum circles and garden clubs. They provide opportunities to help others—collecting food and making blankets and sharing stories and visiting people who could use a hand. And they helped a small music school thrive! I am grateful.