Teen Musicians To Host Annual Concert Benefitting Students In Need

Some musicians spend their entire lives dreaming about playing a venue like The Roxy on the infamous Sunset Strip. Local musicians Alec Singer, Bella Porter, Sol Was and Taylor Mackall were just freshmen in high school when they sold out the renowned club. That was the first time.

The four teens, some of whom grew up in Pacific Palisades and some who take music lessons in the Palisades, were disheartened to learn of drastic cuts in LAUSD’s music programs. In response, they created Teens United Live to help ensure that opportunities for musical education are not sacrificed due to financial hardship.

Now entering their senior year of high school at Crossroads School, the Teens United Live founders are at it again, bringing together musicians from schools across Los Angeles to help raise money for teens in need. On Sept. 6, they will host the third annual Teens United Live at the Moss Theatre at New Roads School.

Now a fundraising success, the project grew from first-hand experiences with students at inner-city schools with struggling music programs.

“I started this project with Sol, Taylor and Alec a few years ago after being exposed to the terrible condition of the Los Angeles Unified School District and its effect on music programs around the city,” Porter said. “When we saw that many were lacking the proper funding to give their students the proper education they deserve, we felt an innate obligation to help in any way we could.”

Singer said that much of their motivation to support the music programs that were suffering due to budget restrictions stemmed from a desire to continue playing with the students in these programs.

“They were so talented, but they were limited because of their lack of programming. We could see what a better program they could have if they just had the resources.” Singer said. “Learning what it was like not coming from a private school with an amazing music program inspired us to expand our community and improve on the music education around us.”

Enlisting help from musician friends all over Los Angeles, they organized a concert in 2012 at the Roxy, featuring 35 teens playing a revue of great classic songs. The show raised more than $12,000 for the Foshay Learning Center’s Music Program.

“After seeing how the money from the first concert impacted the music program at Foshay – enabling their band to pay for the travel to enter jazz competitions, repairing instruments and keep the program going – it was a no brainer to repeat,” Was said. “Music saves people in so many ways. No one should be deprived of it.”

The success of the inaugural show spurred the teens to host a second concert in 2013 that raised more than $20,000 for the Harmony Project, a program that gives kids from inner city urban areas the opportunity to play in orchestras and jazz bands, keeping them in school and off the streets.

“Being able to attend Crossroads School opened our eyes to how grateful we are for what we have been taught and are able to learn. We wanted to help other schools have the same by holding a charity concert and donating the proceeds,” Singer said.

At this year’s Sept. 6 concert at the Moss Theatre at New Roads School, the bill will include musicians from Crossroads, Harvard-Westlake, LACHSA, Colburn, LACES, Brentwood, Windward and others, featuring talent in a multitude of musical styles. Singer said the choice to focus on student talent, rather than bring in professional or celebrity acts, has been intentional since the beginning – and a choice he said is essential to the spirit of the concert.

“The show has always been all student performances, all by kids we know and acts we put together. It’s a very close-knit community,” Singer said. “We all like playing with each other and listening to each other. Putting this together doesn’t feel like work – it’s so much fun doing it for a good cause.”

This year’s concert will benefit the Coalition for Engaged Education, which helps kids in the Lennox area of Los Angeles receive quality education.

Though the teens are excited about the funds they have been able to raise so far, they admit there is still more work to be done. All four teens will graduate from high school this year, and Singer expressed hope that some underclassmen will be ready to take up the cause. Porter added that it is impossible to feel content until musical education is no longer sacrificed due to financial hardship.

“There will always be another teenager struggling at the hand of a failed school system, waiting for a chance to fulfill their potential,” she said.

Moss Theatre in the Herb Alpert Education Village at New Roads School is located at 3131 Olympic Blvd. The concert will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit teensunitedlive.com.