USC Thornton Community Engagement Program

The USC Thornton Community Engagement Program is a diverse and extensive music education-oriented program that provides unique learning opportunities for children in the local community, as well as significant service-learning opportunities for Thornton students. Several music programs currently exist at the 15 local schools identified within USC’s Family of Schools. None of them, however, provide comprehensive music education, and only a handful of the approximately 17,000 students attend weekly school-based music classes. This realization prompted members of the community to request help from the Thornton School of Music. Each year, over 70 Thornton students and over 6,000 children in the community participate in the USC Thornton Community Engagement Program. Thornton majors in performance, composition, music industry, popular music and music education offer children a variety of learning and performing opportunities. Programs currently offered by the USC Thornton Community Engagement Program include general music instruction, guitar, recorder, elementary choir, and “Meet the Instruments.” Another facet of Thornton Community Engagement is JazzReach, a program that focuses on instrumental and vocal jazz teaching opportunities for Thornton Jazz Studies students. The Los Angeles Youth Jazz Ensemble, 32nd Street JazzReach Choir, Murchison Elementary JazzReach Choir, and Science Center JazzReach Choir are all branches of this unique program. For the latest news about the Thornton Community Engagement Program, visit our blog. The USC Thornton Community Engagement Program is made possible by generous support from: - USC Good Neighbors Campaign - The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation - The Kurtin Family, in memory of Jared Kurtin - The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation - The International House of Blues Foundation - Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts - California Community Foundation