Lowell Milken Center
for Music of American
Jewish Experience
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Explore our many and varied recordings of Jewish music programs at your leisure.
Oral History Project of American Jewish Music
The field of Jewish Music has gained a new valuable resource which will expand knowledge about the evolving nature of music of the American Jewish experience.
The Oral History Project of American Jewish Music, created by the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience in partnership with the Milken Archive of Jewish Music: the American Experience, is an audiovisual platform that provides a portal for scholars, researchers, musicians, listeners, and fans of Jewish Music to explore interviews of leading musicians, composers, cantors, and performers. A number of the oral histories feature historically significant individuals who are no longer living, such as Dave Brubeck and Freydele Oysher.
Turnkey Adult Ed Curriculum
Stories of Music is a turnkey adult education project of the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Our goal is to provide easy to deliver, fully prepared lesson on a broad range of musically related topics. Each lesson is designed to engage participants in adult education programs to think about the American Jewish experience through stories of the evolving nature of Jewish music.
An Academic Home for Music of the American Jewish Experience
1402 Schoenberg Music Building
(310) 825-3650
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We do not accept unsolicited proposals for performance or research projects. However, as it is aligned with our mission, we are eager to learn about new music in all genres, forms and styles, in addition to new scholarship in the field of Jewish music, in order to have the opportunity to share it with others. Please send information to: infomilkencenter@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu.
Furthering knowledge and understanding of Jewish music
Music of American Jewish experience has its first permanent dedicated academic home with the establishment of the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience. It unites the academic and the artistic, showcasing artists, scholars and educators to share their sounds and stories. The founding gift from philanthropist Lowell Milken advances understanding of and knowledge about the musical heritage of Jews in America. It also accelerates growth and commitment to the field by contributing to research, scholarship and performance programs at the undergraduate, graduate and faculty levels. The Lowell Milken Center builds upon the activities of the Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music, established at UCLA in 2017, to expand the reach of the Milken Archive and its vast holdings of recordings, scores and historical materials to students, scholars and the public.
Creating new audiences with music as the mirror
The Lowell Milken Center is committed to introducing new people beyond UCLA’s campus to the musical journeys of America’s Jews and engaging them with this wonderfully rich musical heritage. The Center fosters new artistic expression, presents performances and offers educational programming in communities, such as the adult education curriculum, called Stories of Music. Much of this engagement happens through partnerships with local, national and international organizations, and features artists from UCLA, Los Angeles and beyond.
![Engaging Students in Music of American Jewish Experience](/app/uploads/2020/11/Benny_Goodman_Ahead_of_his_Time-014-1024x683.jpg)
As a university-based Center, we are committed to providing opportunities for students to explore and participate in Jewish music in a multiplicity of ways. View this video to learn more.
Yiddish Music
The 2020-21 program year provided a celebration of Yiddish song and music. Participants met and listened to the music of master fiddlers, a clarinetist and trumpeter. They learned how to play and sing Yiddish songs and participated in a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the creations of the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof, and more.
Create, Appreciate and
Elucidate Music
With the launch of Women’s History Month 2021, we began highlighting contributions of women to the world of music. Programming gave participants the opportunity to meet with women in the forefront of their respective musical genres – from classical to klezmer.
During the 2020-21 academic year, the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music was pleased to present five distinct series of virtual Jewish music programs. Many videos of past programs may be found on our YouTube channel. Enjoy!
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Videos and Information About Previous Programs
Our Musical Journey
New Jewish music is created every day; LA is the epicenter. With its incredibly diverse Jewish community, this is the best place to investigate how music reflects the American Jewish experience. We are deeply grateful to the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience for supporting this exploration, engaging all UCLA and the community beyond.
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