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Making beautiful music starts with commitment, collaboration
The first graders of Los Robles Ronald McNair Academy chattered excitedly at the door of the music room in East Palo Alto.
At front, stood five musicians from Quinteto Latino – Diane Grubbe on flute, Kyle Bruckman with oboe, Armando Castellano with French horn, Jamael Smith with a big, tall bassoon, and Leslie Tagorda with a clarinet – instruments that many of the youngsters had only seen in pictures. Their first experience of a professional music performance was about to begin.
“Seeing their faces ‘wowed’ – that’s what I want when they come away from a performance,” said teacher Kimberly Garzon, after the musicians played pieces from around the world designed to show off each instrument.
They taught students to accompany them using finger snapping to “Take the A Train,” clapping for the “Son de Betaza” and swaying hands to tell part of the “Aloha ‘Oe” story.
That interlude in 2023 continues and is repeated all across the district today, rooted in a long-standing relationship that began in 2015. Ravenswood City School District that year invited Stanford Live to collaborate on an arts education partnership. RCSD had an arts program, but it needed attention, professional support and continuity. Arts education, which includes dance and visual arts, plays a strong role in RCSD’s strategic plan and its goals reported to the state, known as the Local Control and Accountability Plan.
Stanford Live brought in Quinteto Latino, a national organization based in San Francisco and founded by Menlo Park resident Castellano, the French horn player. It was formed to commission and perform works by Latino artists and bring culturally competent music education to public schools, particularly for Latino students, among other goals.
Students whose roots are in Latin America comprise about 83 percent of the school population, followed by Pacific Islanders, Blacks and other groups. The district’s superintendent says the Quinteto Latino’s dedicated efforts ensure that students, particularly black and brown students, have access to music that resonates with their heritage and culture.
It is the kind of partnership that became possible in an environment where stable funding for arts and education allowed the idea to percolate. Stanford Live staff credits sustained funding that preceded the partnership, including Stanford Live’s K-12 Program for students and teachers, that RCSD participates in.
The K-12 Program, supported by donors, brought over 3,000 students to free matinee performances this school year, to venues such as the Bing Concert Hall and Memorial Auditorium – and the bus transportation needed to get there.
“Quinteto Latino, RCSD, and Stanford Live have successfully built a robust and inclusive educational program,” said Superintendent Gina Sudaria. “What stands out about this collaboration is the unwavering commitment to student-centeredness, which has strengthened our partnership over the years.”
“Seeing their faces ‘wowed’ – that’s what I want when they come away from a performance.”
Kimberly Garzon, TEACHER
It has evolved into an ever-adapting relationship between Ravenswood schools, their music teachers, Stanford, and the Quinteto Latino artists. There is an artists-in-schools program, bringing teaching artists to visit music classes in all of Ravenswood district schools, and offering individualized training for music teachers.
“It’s really nice to have the trust built, because we’re not disappearing,” said Castellano. “It’s a nice through-line we’ve established. That’s the beauty of a long-term partnership.”
Castellano thinks the trust is also due to the stability of Stanford Live’s participation. Deborah Cullinan, Stanford’s vice president for the arts, in turn, credits the district’s steady hand through the years.
“The sustained commitment of Ravenswood leadership to strong arts education programs helps make it possible for Stanford Live to support the work of the district’s teachers … as part of a larger, long-term effort,” said Cullinan.
This year, funding from Stanford’s Office of Community Engagement is supporting an expanded program, bringing an infusion of teaching artists to classrooms, students attending matinees at Stanford campus, and coaching both students and teachers to support music learning and professional growth. First-time collaborations between the artists and the middle school’s jazz band and mariachi ensembles were planned.
For Cullinan, that support demonstrates how seriously the university takes community partnerships. “Collaboration is at the heart of both art-making and building relationships. And our collaboration with Ravenswood is a model of how we want to work with community partners.”
Stanford is committed to supporting our community by advancing interdisciplinary teaching and research, providing world-class medical care, and extending knowledge and discovery to our neighbors. Stanford invites its neighbors to enjoy its open lands and participate in learning, athletic, and arts events on campus.