One interactive, 7-professional-musician popular music concert and educational presentation, at a continuation high school that provide inspiration for at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area.

Saturday Night Bath Concert Fund is a 7- musician professional ensemble, with a 10-person Board of Directors. We are dedicated to writing and performing indigenous American jazz and blues music, and educating underprivileged youth, giving on average, two dozen interactive concerts and clinics a year. We became an incorporated nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1993. The instruments include: trap drums, 1 bass viol and 2-electric bass guitars, guitars, harmonicas, keyboard, and saxophones/flute, essentially representing percussion, reed/woodwind, keyboards, and string players.

Since 1986 we have performed 550-concerts in schools and detention facilities connecting with over 41,000 at-risk youth, essentially one-at-a-time. Opportunities to perform and compose simple songs are strongly encouraged. During each concert, music is paused in order to describe the origins of the musical instruments, the elemental mechanics, the inventors, and some famous contemporary players. 35mm slides are shown that also correspond to the music; this adds a visual media element to the process.

We have circulated questionnaires prior to and after our clinics for 25-years. They assess the impact, relevance, and music preferences; we have 5-year synopses that are available upon request. We stress attending private or local community colleges, as well as using our many web link referrals; they can thus “get connected” and study music composition or performance.

The LA County Arts Commission became our first sponsor in 1986. They continue today. Regardless of the effects of music pirating, the Musicians Union Local #47 (LA) and the Recording Industries Music Performance Fund (NY) continue to give us co-sponsor allocations that cover 35% of our musician’s concert wages. We received 3-year Cal Arts Council (CAC) Multi-Cultural Entry Level grants in 1995, ’98 and 2001, and an Impact grant in 2004; their Exemplary Arts Education Partnership Grant greatly expanded our separate acoustic lecture visits. The City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs has funded our program since 1991. Current sponsors include the Arts Commission, the Cities of West Hollywood, Torrance, & Los Angeles, the Music Fund of Los Angeles, the Puffin, Dew and Wilhelm Family Foundations, Pasadena Showcase House, and County Supervisors Hilda Solis & Kathryn Barger. We are beginning another LA County Probation Department Camp series.