“Music has been a central part of my life since I was an infant,” says Laura. “My dad is an accomplished (and self-taught) piano player, and he used to lay me on top of the piano when I was as young as 2 months so I could feel the vibration of the music. He and my mom used to sing old Blood Sweat & Tears, and Stevie Wonder songs to help me learn my first words. I started with piano at the age of 4; began voice/singing in kindergarten; added the viola in 2^nd grade, and then learned the harmonium as an adult. I even fell in love with my now husband in back middle school, over a curated mix tape he slipped into my notebook in 1984.

“Music expanded my heart and my mind and has made me a more creative adult. Today our house is filled with guitars, there’s music playing literally every day, my son is learning guitar, and I proudly display the viola I started playing when I was 7. As a professional, I worked in the charter school movement for over a decade, opening schools in communities across California, many of which had both arts and music programming and I got to watch firsthand (and sometimes join in on) the music classes alongside students from Compton, Watts, Oakland and Stockton.”

The People’s Music School is “the ‘perfect storm’ of rich legacy, authentic founding story born out of passion, grit, and creating true impact to bring music into the lives of more kids,” says Laura.

“There is nothing more powerful than watching a young person’s face change when they are lit from within after feeling how music can move his/her/their hearts. The TPMS mission and work is an extension of how I try to walk in the world every day, so I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”