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The Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation
announced today that it will launch “The Last Repair Shop
Fund,” a $15 million capital campaign to invest in the
future of its previously unsung Musical Instrument Repair
Shop, including a student apprenticeship program that will
build the next
generation of instrument technicians.
The downtown workshop, founded in 1959, is the subject of
Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers’ Oscar® nominated
short documentary “The Last Repair Shop,” distributed by
Searchlight Pictures and L.A. Times Studios, which profiles
four of the twelve technicians who work every day to
maintain over 130,000 musical instruments provided by the
district to public school students. Los Angeles is the last
major city in America to provide free and freely repaired
instruments to its students.
Student storytellers featured in the Oscar
nominated film, The
Last Repair Shop,
Porché Brinker, Ismerai Calcaneo, and Amanda Nova pose with
co-directors Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot. Photo
by Todd Williamson
“Los Angeles Unified’s investment in music has produced some
of the greatest luminaries in music for decades,”
Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “This shop is one
of the cornerstones of what makes Los Angeles the creative
capital of the world. Ben and Kris’ film has created
extraordinary excitement and support, and the time has come
to call on forward-thinking leaders in this city to ensure
that no child in Los Angeles who wants to play an instrument
will ever be denied that opportunity.”
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation was
an early supporter of the capital campaign. “The Last Repair
Shop” introduces us to the work and care of craftspeople
equipping students with the instruments that allow them to
explore their musical curiosities and talents,” said Gerun
Riley, president of The Broad Foundation. “We applaud
LAUSD’s commitment to sustaining the repair shop, and we
hope others will be inspired to help ensure LA’s students
have access to high-quality instruments, music facilities,
and apprenticeships for generations to come.”
Kris Bowers, the noted composer and
co-director of The
Last Repair Shop ,
performs a piece he wrote on the Steinway piano he donated
to his alma mater,
Third Elementary School. Photo
by Todd Williamson
“Ben and I can’t think of a better impact for
our film to make,” said ‘The Last Repair Shop’ co-director
Kris Bowers. “I came up learning piano on an LAUSD upright.
I know firsthand what having access to a working instrument
can mean for a young kid who yearns to express themselves
through music. And we are so excited that the LAUSD
Education Foundation and The Broad Foundation have been
inspired by our film to launch this worthy campaign that
will change the lives of young Angelenos for generations to
come." The
announcement was made during a public event on February 20
at Hollywood High School featuring a screening of The
Last Repair Shop and
a special musical performance by an all city marching band.
L.A.U.S.D. music students canvas honks from Highland Avenue
traffic as The
Last Repair Shop banners
adorn Hollywood High School,
where
the $15 million capital campaign was announced.
The school is just a block away from the Dolby Theatre,
where the Academy Awards will be held on March 10. Photo
by Todd Williamson
Co-director Kris Bowers along with Searchlight Pictures made
the first gift of the campaign by giving restored 1913
Steinway & Sons K-52 upright piano to Third Street
Elementary School, where Kris Bowers attended as a young
man.
Steve Bagmanyan, the shop’s supervisor and one of the
technicians featured in the film, was, coincidentally, the
person who tuned the pianos at Bower’s elementary and Middle
schools. He said of the campaign’s launch, “We get to the
shop and start working before the sun rises. We do our work
quietly and proudly. And so the light that “’The Last Repair
Shop” has brought into our shop and lives has been both
unexpected and deeply moving.” He continued, “The creation
of this capital campaign is a godsend because it will
enshrine this shop forever, and ensure that students who
love music in Los Angeles will always have an instrument in
their hand. And that’s what it’s all about.”
L.A.U.S.D. music educators Vince Womack, Tony White and
Erick Quintanilla were honored with framed sheet music
from The Last Repair Shop ’s end credits, signed by multiple
generations of L.A.U.S.D. alumni. Photo by Molly O’Keeffe
The campaign will support investments in the Repair Shop’s
infrastructure and support staff, ensuring that skill
craftsmen are equipped to support the District’s music
program for years to come. It will also support the
development of music and arts pipelines across schools – so
that students can access a continuity of music and arts
programs in the
neighborhood schools.
The film, which has already garnered a number of major
accolades including an Oscar® nod
and the Critics Choice Documentary Award for best short, is
available to view for free on L.A. Times’ YouTube channel,
along with Disney+ and Hulu. The results of the Oscars® will
be announced at the Dolby Theater on March 10.
Public donations to The
Last Repair Shop Fund
can be made at
www.thelastrepairshop.com
About the LAUSD Education Foundation
The mission of the LAUSD Education Foundation
is to maximize resources and support for the District’s core
education priorities from the philanthropic community and
private sector in order to improve student learning.
Incorporated in 2002, the Los Angeles
Unified Education Foundation has worked hand in hand with
the second largest school district in the country to enhance
services and support to LA’s students. It is organized
exclusively for the charitable purpose of furthering the
educational goals of LAUSD.
About The
Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
steadfastly stewards groundbreaking institutions in
education, science and the arts, while elevating
organizations, initiatives and leaders that boldly address
the challenges of our time and expand opportunity for Los
Angeles’ historically marginalized communities.
TBF envisions a world where everyone can shape and
participate in a
sustainable, equitable economy that serves the public good and builds a
brighter future and a city where all Angelenos have pathways and tools to
grow and thrive.
To learn more,
visit: https://broadfoundation.org/los-angeles/
About Breakwater Studios
Founded in 2012 by Forbes 30 Under 30
entrepreneur and Academy Award® -winning director Ben
Proudfoot, Breakwater Studios has been a pioneer in the
world of the short documentary, connecting with millions of
people around the world through their humanist, high-quality
films. The studio’s work has been recognized by the Academy
Awards ®, The Emmys®, The Peabody Awards,
The James Beard Awards, the Sundance
Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival,
the Tribeca Film Festival,
and SXSW among others.
Learn more at www.breakwaterstudios.com
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