Community School

At the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, we are committed to making music education accessible to everyone who has a passion and curiosity for music at every level of ability. Our world-class teachers share their expertise with students of wide-ranging musical interests and varying ages, from seven months to adults.

Located in sunny Los Angeles, the Community School offers online and in-person music lessons on many instruments—piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and voice. All experience levels welcome, from beginner to advanced.

At the Community School, students join together to perform chamber music and as part of large ensembles. The school also focuses on students’ understanding of music theory. Classes cover the basics of reading pitch and rhythm. As they progress in musicality, students employ more complex analysis skills. We encourage students to combine theory with applied instruction and ensemble activities for a well-rounded educational experience.

Violinist wearing a pink turtleneck smiling with teacher sitting down

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Meet Our Faculty

Richard Schwabe
Violin Faculty

Richard Schwabe, violin instructor and longtime chair of the String Department at the Colburn School’s Community School of Performing Arts, holds music degrees from the University of Southern California (BM) and the University of Michigan (MM).

Keum Hwa Cha, DMA
Violin and Viola Faculty

Cha has taught at universities including Pepperdine University, California Lutheran University, and Idaho State University as an Assistant Professor of Music. She studied violin with Hyo Kang, Masuko Ushioda, Charles Castleman, and Chee-Yun Kim, and she was a Teaching Assistant of Charles Castleman at the Eastman School of Music.

Jeesung Kang
Piano Faculty

Ms. Kang has won many prizes and has appeared as a soloist with multiple orchestras in the US, as well as in South Korea.

Jordan Nelson, DMA
Chair, Music Theory and Aural Skills, Colburn Conservatory

Jordan Nelson is a composer of instrumental, vocal, electronic, and electro-acoustic music