Ojai Music Academy

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9.9.25: Despite decades of protests, the arts continue to dwindle in our schools. Further, arts teachers are not given the same protections in the union contract as their colleagues. It’s time to bring back a schedule and a contract that gives ALL kids access to the arts while still providing for their teachers to have the same rights as the rest. #artsineducation #socialemotionallearning #performingarts #whyiteach #mrllovesyoumrlwillseeyoulater

Tony Khalife returns to Euterpe Farms We’re thrilled to welcome back Tony Khalife, a beloved musical soul who once called Ojai home and graced our stages with his transcendent sound. Now living deep in the wilds of Northern California, Tony is making a special journey south—just for us.

Few adults play musical instruments, and even fewer do so in a group, Caroline Mimbs Nyce wrote in 2024. What health benefits might they be giving up? https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

“Kids receive plenty of music education, but as people get older, they fall out of practice. Many stop picking up their instrument,” Nyce wrote. “This is unfortunate, in part because plenty of research shows that adults could benefit from playing music.”

Playing music helps build larger brain networks and new pathways. “Musicians tend to have better attention than nonmusicians,” Nyce continued. “Banging on a drum or tooting a horn can also relieve stress, reduce burnout, and help with anxiety and depression. For older people specifically, research has shown potential cognitive benefits along with a possible decrease in dementia risk.”

Adults may be skipping out in part because music education is associated with childhood and coursework. And after people grow out of music education in their childhood, they tend to think that music is a special talent, Nyce wrote, not something that just anybody can learn.

“Of course, people are busy; they simply may not have the luxury of sitting down to study Bach once a week, much less the money to pay for an instrument or private lessons,” Nyce wrote.

Playing music in groups has additional benefits, such as allowing adults to feel more trusting of and connected to one another, and to the world in general. But while it’s easy to go to a park or gym and pull together a game of pickup basketball, “piecing together people at the same skill level to play a concerto or even just jam in a garage is another matter.”

Nyce herself recently began to play the recorder. “I plan to keep learning,” she writes, “not because it strengthens my neuropathways per se (though I certainly don’t mind that), but because making music, even when it’s silly—perhaps especially when it’s silly—is just a whole lot of fun.” https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

📸: Photo Media / ClassicStock / Getty
Source: The Atlantic

It’s Never Too Late to Learn an Instrument You don’t have to be talented for jamming to be worthwhile.

The Ojai Suns are back!

Our boys choir—ages 7 to 13—is launching into a new season of music, camaraderie, and confidence. Under the expert guidance of Julija Zonic and Roko Blazevic, these young voices are learning more than just harmony—they’re discovering the power of group singing to build trust, emotional expression, and lifelong friendships.

Group singing offers boys a rare space to be expressive, collaborative, and proud of their voices. It strengthens focus, boosts self-esteem, and creates a sense of belonging that’s hard to find anywhere else.

Whether they’re belting out folk tunes or blending in tight harmony, the Suns are growing into artists and leaders—one rehearsal at a time.

If you know a boy who needs this...follow us, visit our website www.ojaimusicacademy.org, or send a message!

Let the season begin! 🌟🎶

Smitty is leading a grunion run this Sunday night. Who is in? 

California Grunion Facts and Expected Runs The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.