2017 Top-Rated Nonprofit

CAESURA YOUTH ORCHESTRA

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Nonprofit Overview

Causes: Arts & Culture, Symphony Orchestras

Mission: To provide under-served students with the opportunity to learn music in a safe and fun setting by providing music education and free instruments.

Community Stories

18 Stories from Volunteers, Donors & Supporters

Saraflute1 Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

09/06/2021

Caesura is SO very special! I am a professional flutist in Los Angeles and I come every year to work with these extremely special and eager young children to help strengthen their musical skills and their awareness of the precious beauty of music and art to enhance their lives and help make their academics even stronger with musical skills and critical thinking. It also gives them hope, dreams, creativity, compassion for others and joy to have these musical experiences - and we want these experiences and opportunities to continue - it is so very important to keep music alive and be introduced and encouraged at this young age to keep going for the next generations. The beauty of this world, as well as the general well -being of all needs music to be able survive and flourish.

1

KellyAnnKing Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

09/01/2021

Wonderful group of professional musicians who spend their time and talents with elementary schools in a high-poverty area of our community. The gift of music and mentorship are immeasurable and this is definitely an exceptional nonprofit and educational partner for our schools.

1 SerenaMiller

SerenaMiller General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

09/01/2021

I couldn't be more impressed by Caesura and their dedication to young musicians! Caesura is such a wonderful youth orchestra! They are certainly #1 in my book. And they have a wonderful Leader who genuinely takes the time to care about each of them.

carolyncs271 Board Member

Rating: 5

10/30/2020

Caesura Youth Orchestra goes above and beyond to serve the youth in the Glendale community providing hands on music instruction by professional musicians. It's exciting to see the children's faces light up as they perform and continue to hone their skills.

Micah W. Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

10/19/2020

I have been a Teaching Artist for Caesura Youth Orchestra for the past 2 years, and absolutely recommend this program! Caesura provides high-quality music education for children in Glendale and gives them wonderful opportunities to learn an instrument, work with other students in ensembles, and perform in neat venues around Glendale. I love watching my students develop a love and appreciation for music every semester.

rachelopez Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

10/12/2020

I have had the pleasure to serve CYO for over four years and it is fascinating to see the incredible work this organization does to bring quality music classes to kids in need and use music as a vehicle to transform kids lives and build skills that will be helpful for their lifetime experiences. Through the facilitation of musical instruments, music books and other resources, CYO provides a safe space for students where they can find a purpose and motivation to succeed in life.

xkcity Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

10/11/2020

This is the second year that I've been teaching for the Caesura Youth Orchestra's after-school strings classes. In some professions, two years may not be a long time, but in this case, the same children seem worlds apart from one grade to the next. Momentary issues of discipline are forgotten as I see the children in my class grow and mature faster than I ever imagined.

Every day since I started teaching with the Caesura Youth Orchestra has been labor of love. I am confident that this program will continue to touch the lives of underprivileged students in more ways than imaginable as its effects ripple outwards for years to come.

DrMaryM Board Member

Rating: 5

10/09/2020

Cesura is a fabulous organization that brings music to elementary students! Children learn to play instruments at no cost to their families! It is the gift of a lifetime!

tomchatt Donor

Rating: 5

09/19/2017

We have been so proud to sponsor Caesura Youth Orchestra since its inception three years ago, and to watch its success in our local community. Not only does it give the children access to musical education that they would not otherwise have, but the experience of participating in an orchestra, being a part of something larger, and experiencing the reward of what can be accomplished by a group pulling together, these are invaluable experiences and social skills that will profoundly impact these children's futures for the better.

dianestokes54 Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

09/18/2017

I am a classroom teacher at an elementary school where Caesura Youth Orchestra offers an after school program. Last year several of my students were a part of this wonderful program. One little girl in my class in particular responded strongly to the opportunity to develop skill in music as well as to belong to a group that worked together.. In the beginning of the year she struggled with academics, self confidence and lacked age-appropriate social skills. She was very excited about the music program, however. As the year wore on she showed a marked improvement in academics and maturity. I credit Caesura and the opportunity it afforded with the positive growth













in this little girl.

Chad E. Volunteer

Rating: 5

09/11/2017

Caesura is an excellent music program for kids in the Glendale Area. David started this project about 4 years ago and it continues to grow. I had the opportunity to teach for the first three of the years the program. I can say first hand that it is such a wonderful opportunity for all the kids. In Los Angeles it is hard to find a quality non-profit musical education with the focus being on the kids and their growth and not a numbers game. I care deeply about this orchestra and want to continue to help as much as I can. Thank you so much to Dave for building this project from the ground up.

CYOdonor Donor

Rating: 5

08/17/2017

My heart is with the children of Caesura Youth Orchestra. They learned music notes for the first time and now with all the effort and support of the founder of CYO and devoted teachers, the children are playing their instruments not only in classes but in concerts. I grew up studying music from age 6 with all Italian teachers and within a family of musicians. After dedication to hours on end practicing piano, I taught for 39 years, playing for student recitals, for official church jobs in three countries and playing in concerts and accompanying professional opera singers.
I praise and recommend the Caesura Youth Orchestra. My family currently has a fourteen-year-old who started learning music at the age of 4. Now he is an accomplished young artist playing trombone locally, throughout the state, nationally and internationally.

Previous Stories

Donor

Rating: 5

03/26/2017

Caesura Youth Orchestra provides a great service to our community. I've seen 3 years of progress watching their performances. They grow more and more each time in discipline and musical skill. They are adorable, hard working kids that come from very challenging backgrounds, and they deserve all the help they can get.

The students are evaluated every year by their music and their classroom teachers, and the impact is clear; students are improving behavior, learning critical social and leadership skills and are being steered in a very positive direction at a point that is crucial to their life-time development.

Writer Board Member

Rating: 5

08/14/2017

I'm a volunteer and Board member with this organization and I'm continually impressed with the students exiting out of this program. The evaluations from teachers at the end of the year consistently show improvement in behavior, leadership, and grades after participating in the Caesura program for two years in a row! When you speak with the kids, they are enjoying themselves and learning a lot. As time goes on we've had kids who've graduated to middle school and out of the program return to help out the 3rd - 5th graders and keep playing. Principals and teachers are asking Caesura to expand into their campuses but additional funding is needed in order to expand. After watching it at work from the inside over the last two years, I'd highly recommend Caesura Youth Orchestra if you're looking for a nonprofit to invest in.

toddjleonard Donor

Rating: 5

07/10/2017

Each time I have an opportunity to hear the students from Cerritos Elementary School perform, I am amazed at how accomplished they have become in such a short amount of time. This speaks to the heart and spirit of Caesura Youth Orchestra. Each teacher and leader is passionate about these kids and giving them the musical education they deserve. I am proud to personally support them, and proud to have my congregation, Glendale City Church, supporting them!

Writer Board Member

Rating: 5

07/10/2017

This group has blossomed in the last 2 1/2 years since Dave Ferguson came to me to help; and as the music director where those students will attend I am now beginning to see the fruits of caesuras labors.

1 JohnMassari

JohnMassari Board Member

Rating: 5

03/30/2017

I had the great honor of composing a piece specifically for this wonderful orchestra's Christmas program. The children's performance was inspiring. Their level of focus, expression, and musicianship was very professional.

nofski40 Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

03/21/2017

Led by their astonishing President, Dave Ferguson, this the CYO or Caesura Youth Orchestra continues to blow me away. First, what most Glendale CA residents don't know about Dave is his own voice/recording/singing prominence. Excellence and with the top music people in the world. Other great artists who share their own craft with the kids, i.e. the violin. It's an astonishing operation, up close. An observation made possible by both Caesura, Dave - and the great elementary school that hosts, feeds Dave's program, Dave's kids.

I observed this phenomenon up close and personal, came and visited - one of the kids turned around and said, "Hey - what's with the old man?" And another kid said, oh, yeah - he's known to the President (Dave), is here courtesy of Dave - and only to observe. While his white hair is scary (to kids, even to self), the kids then accepted me - a few said "Hi old man," but it was in a funny way - not meant or said with malice. And I'm not that sensitive of a person - if someone said it in a traffic dispute it'd have a whole different context/meaning. This was said by some nice, good-humored children - gifted children that Dave and CYO (our SDA Church in Glendale, the "city church.") have helped in the most prominent of ways. Dave's a leader - character comes first - they need to develop good habits - as in "Be on time."
So, yeah, paint me astonished by what these children - by what this orchestra - by what Dave has accomplished.
A-city-of-Glendale-treasure no less than our other great children's orchestra which CYO is often both likened and confused-with (Glendale Youth Orchestra or GYO).
You see these kids a few months in - or a year in - and you begin hearing things like they're developing as young kids - they're improving in the classroom - for the first time they're thinking "college" - tons of good things have happened and will continue to happen around both President Dave Ferguson and his magical operation called "Caesura" or "Caesura Youth Orchestra."

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