Community trailblazers
Some people help others by donating their time, money or influence to elevate their fellow citizens. Others, however, shoulder a bigger responsibility, committing themselves in profound ways to affect change. Meet three organizations doing what they can to inspire, improve and impact the lives of their fellow Californians.
BY JULIA DE SIMONE AND DEBRA GELBART
Academy of Musical Performance Turning up the volume for Coachella’s young musicians
C AMILLE ARUJO STILL laughs about how it seemed like her son, Noah Arujo, was playing the drums since he was in the womb. “When he was 1 or 2 years old, we bought him a tiny drum set,” she said. “Every time he heard a knock on the door or heard something on the TV, he would accurately mimic the sounds with his drums.”
Noah’s precocious talent for mimicking sound was something Camille and her husband wanted to help foster and develop. When they first heard about Academy of Musical Performance (AMP), they jumped at the opportunity to enroll Noah in the program. Since 2015, AMP has been providing an educational and creative outlet for Coachella’s young musicians. AMP was formed by a committee of volunteers from the Coachella Valley Community Trust and grant seed funding from Goldenvoice, which produces the Stagecoach and Coachella music festivals. AMP’s mission is to enrich young musicians’ lives by nurturing their talents in a “rock band” educational setting, which was inspired by the popular movie “School of Rock.” “AMP has created a talented community of young musicians from all of Coachella’s middle and high
calbanktrust.com/ inyourcorner
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