STTAF Jazz & Marching Band
“Unfortunately the STTAF Jazz & Marching Band will not be able to join the
July 4th festivities in Vail”
The award-winning band is comprised of 100 talented musicians from View Park Prep and Washington Prep High School, and is conducted by Fernando Pullum. Pullum founded the school’s jazz program where he teaches music, which he extends by including a community service component that gives students the opportunity to reach out to teach other disadvantaged kids about how music can enrich their lives. |
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How did this band embark on their first annual trip from South Central LA to Vail? The common thread is Howard Stone, founder and chair of the Vail Jazz Foundation. Stone is a real estate attorney, investor, and music lover from Los Angeles who founded the Vail Jazz Foundation in 1995. The Vail Jazz Foundation’s mission is to perpetuate the jazz art form through education and live performances, with a focus on young musicians and young audiences. Stone also chairs the Los Angeles based Success Through The Arts Foundation (STTAF).
STTAF funds innovative arts programming for children living in one of the most economically depressed communities in the country; South Central Los Angeles. |
In an area of the Los Angeles Unified School District where the average graduation rate is approximately 30%, STTAF has made a profound impact on the lives of thousands of kids. Over 90% of the students regularly participating in performing arts at the ICEF schools, and 99% of all students participating in the Success through the Arts Foundation programs have graduated high school and gone on to attend college. STTAF funds the ICEF Public Schools, a nonprofit charter school management organization serving communities in the South Los Angeles area. STTAF, through ICEF, has provided the inspiration and the programming to transform the lives of thousands of students living in South Central Los Angeles.
The trip to Vail is a powerful motivator for children in the STTAF program. By working hard and living up to the goals they set for themselves, by practicing and performing with their instrument and becoming a model for other students, 100 lucky students are rewarded with the privilege of traveling to Vail, Colorado for the July 4th celebrations. |
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The 20 hour, one way trip on a chartered coach includes a stop in Las Vegas for a buffet meal. Costs for the trip are covered through a number of individual and corporate donations, ranging from the cost of meals and beverages, to uniforms and bottled water. A number of local businesses also contribute by providing food and beverage, and the children are housed in the gymnasium at a local private school.
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