Colfax Kids Rock Out for the Arts

Gina Ladomade has never been a chief, but she is a very busy Indian. She has not been PTA president or a committee head, but instead has spent the past decade at Colfax Charter Elementary helping out in smaller ways - room mom for each of her two children’s classrooms, donating to every fundraiser and helping out as a worker bee.

For years she has dreamed of helping out the school in a big way, but in June her last child will be graduating from Colfax. Time is running out for Gina, and this will be her last chance.

Gina and her family are passionate about the arts, and one reason they are so thrilled with Colfax is because it has a reputation for promoting the arts. Its charter application actually states that it “has placed the arts at the center of the curriculum,” and emphasizes visual and performing arts, music and dance. With continuous LAUSD budget cuts, more of these programs are being slashed. This is what motivated Gina to do her big thing for Colfax.

Gina’s daughter Cooper is an avid drummer who attends Burbank Music Academy’s music camp. For the past four years, BMA has been helping schools put on “Rockin’ for the Arts,” rock concerts with student bands to help raise money for arts programs. They form the bands, provide the instruments, teach the kids how to play a song, and rehearse with them for 4-6 weeks. The day of the concert, they provide a stage and backline equipment. The cost? Nothing. And there’s absolutely no catch.

Laura Wynne of Burbank Music Academy asserts that “our goal is to keep music programs alive.” She sites the benefits of a music education, including helping the memory in younger children, and at the middle school level fewer kids are in trouble or involved in drugs. She spews statistics including one that high school students who study music perform 43 points higher in math and 53 points in verbal skills. Regarding the cuts to music programs, she feels that “schools would absolutely keep them if they could afford to.” She adds that not every kid is destined to be a doctor or computer programmer. With a music education, “A kid who struggles in school won’t struggle so much because their brain is enhanced.”

On Saturday at 6 p.m., the Colfax Charter Elementary School track will be converted to Woodstock, and the crowd will be entertained by 15 student bands ranging in age from six to 11. “It’s like Kidpalooza," boasts Wynne. “Kids who want to be rock stars for the day can make their hair crazy and have the excitement of performing for their families and friends.”

“It will be so cute to have the little kids live their rock & roll fantasy,” Gina says. “It sparks their imagination about doing more music.” She adds that it’s a perfect circle that students are performing art as they raise money for the school arts.

Rex Broome is one of BMA’s instructors, and he notes that “what is so unique about the Colfax group - especially with the older kids – is that they are all girls. Not only are they enthusiastic, but they are amazingly professional.” He adds that the groups have been “zero percent drama and 100 percent joy,” but explains that learning and playing the song is not always the biggest obstacle. “It’s a real challenge to agree on a song and the band name. Naming a band is more difficult than naming a child – and I’ve done both.” Rex just turned 40, and spent every day of his 39th year covering a new song for his blog 39-40.

He and the other instructors will be at the Colfax’s Rockin’ for the Arts concert, helping play songs or lending encouragement, but also just having a good time.

Fifth grader Mary Belle Morris is in one of Rex’s bands with five of her friends. She’ll be singing Buddy Holly by the group Weezer, and be backed up by guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. They call their band Blackout and will be wearing matching t-shirts and Buddy Holly glasses.

is in the other 5th grade band, and she’s been playing the trombone in Colfax’s orchestra for three years. She and her friends will be performing One Way or Another by Blondie, and Rex’s 10-year old daughter Miranda will be playing bass. Violet’s excited because, “It’s the first time I get to play the trombone and make people laugh.” Their band is called The Florescent Beanies, a name that comes from an inside joke. Ruby, one of the band members, was wearing a bright orange beanie, and Rex told her his eye was drawn to it the entire rehearsal. Violet laughs, “I think it’s really fun, the people there are really cool.”

Remy and Zoe Boul and Caroline Andrews are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders respectively, and they’ve all been taking music lessons at BMA for some time, but Caroline admits that she’s “excited, but a little nervous” about the concert. Their band is called The Vipers, and they’ll be performing The Beatles’ Get Back.

Wynne notes that with the short rehearsal schedule, it would be unrealistic for a new band to perform Stairway to Heaven. “We teach them one, two and three-chord songs that they can accomplish in a short amount of time.”  She adds that the rehearsals at BMA are scheduled around the students’ other activities. “We don’t want parents or kids to be stressed out.” Wynne said. “It should be enjoyable.” On slower days the students are invited to use the facility for additional rehearsals, still at no charge.

Two teacher bands will be performing for Rockin’ for the Arts, including one featuring Colfax Principal Susana Gomez-Judkins who will be singing I Love Rock & Roll.