Los Angeles junior college was
established in 1929 the first Associate
of Arts degrees were conferred in 1931
that same year Leslie peak Lawson joined
the music faculty he remained in the
department for the next forty one years
Clawson organized a weekly concert
series which continues to this day as
our music 152 Clawson was a member of
the famed crescendo Club which provided
opportunities for LACC students and
brought Clawson into contact with such
luminaries as edgar perez aaron copland
and arnold schoenberg the department has
always had a reputation for developing
young composers this concert program
from 1938 includes original works by the
19 year old Lee on curtner who later
taught at the juilliard school and
harvard university and won a pulitzer
prize and the 18 year old
korean-american Earl kim who taught at
Princeton and Harvard in 1946 LACC
became the first college in the nation
to offer a degree in jazz throughout the
1940s and 50s many renowned jazz
musicians studied at LACC including
double bassist and bandleader Charlie
multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy
Lenny niehaus who has collaborated with
Clint Eastwood on most of his films
the studio jazz band was formed in 1946
since then it has been under the
direction of Bob McDonald robert
Wilkinson woody James Don Simpson laszlo
chair and Lori stuns the band is
currently directed by Barbara LaRhonda
Jerry Goldsmith started his music
studies at USC but dropped out to pursue
what he called a more practical music
program at LACC he of course went on to
score hundreds of films and win an Oscar
and the winner is Jerry Goldsmith for
another composer who attended LACC in
the 1950s was John Williams who since
then has received 22 grammy awards and
49 Academy Award nominations and has
written some of the most memorable music
this concert program from 1949 included
a young Marni Nixon who went on to fame
as the voice behind Deborah car in the
king and i Audrey Hepburn and my fair
lady and Natalie Wood in West Side Story
3d oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty
and gay and I pity any girl who did me
who this other famous alumni include
rock and roll hall of fame songwriters
jerry leiber and mike stolen singer and
grammy recipient Dianne Reeves and he'll
be vegans the composer Lamont young
folk singer odetta rich gal whatta
brogan shoe the poke out where slipper I
don't care what old Jack say I'm on a
ride in a length honest download
and electronic music DJ and producer DJ
irene another important LACC alumnus is
david alpert shown here with brother
herb and LACC professor dom de sorrow
his david a albert music scholarship has
been supporting incoming LACC music
students for decades in 1980 the Music
Building officially became Clawson Hall
honoring the remarkable career of Leslie
p Clausen who served as department chair
for the final 26 years of his teaching
career the last ten years have seen
remarkable changes in the music
department including a collaboration
with presidential citizens medal
recipient Margaret Martin and harmony
project an award-winning program that
provides music lessons for at-risk youth
a sigificant increase in donations to
the foundation allowing the department
the addition of three full-time faculty
members in 2006 new talented adjunct
faculty members the approval of an
associate of arts degree for transfer
which guarantees students entry into a
Cal State School the awarding of
hundreds of vocational certificates
which prepares students for entry into
the music industry the tripling in size
of the applied music program thanks to a
generous grant from the Herb Alpert
foundation and the creation of the LACC
Music Academy these changes have
contributed to a significant increase in
student transfers to all the cal states
and ucs and schools such as USC mount
saint mary's college Azusa Pacific and
the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
students have also transferred to
out-of-state schools including the New
England Conservatory in Boston Columbia
University in New York and the Royal
College of Music in London and now in
2015 the opening of the modernized
clausen Hall music building library and
to electronic music labs over 30
practice rooms new instruments recording
studio and of course the spectacular 190
seat recital hall the Los Angeles City
College music department a tradition of
excellence for over 80 years