I founded TAPS in 2015 with the hope of creating a superior percussion seminar taught by world-class professionals. In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, we began presenting TAPS Q&A’s in which I interviewed some of my favorite professional percussionists, drummers, and composers. It was a great way to connect with other musicians in our little community at a time when we all felt some sense of isolation. As quarantining subsided, I felt an overwhelming need to perform live music for an audience, which we had all been missing. In 2021, we introduced the TAPS LA Music Festival, which included performances of new music in outdoor venues, and the same percussion seminar that we’d offered in the past, with an important change: each student would attend the seminar tuition-free. These students, picked by video audition, participated in outreach with high school students from the Los Angeles community who had never before played music. The TAPS fellows performed side by side with high school students from the Switzer Learning Center at venues in Long Beach, San Pedro, and Los Angeles.

I wish to continue to expand the reach of TAPS, bringing new students to our festival in Los Angeles, and helping them to achieve their goals in music. TAPS has raised over $100,000 over the last several years in order to meet our operating costs. Most of these funds came from private donations from individuals just like you, who share our vision for education, outreach, and music making.

I sincerely hope that you’ll be able to help us to reach our fundraising goals for this year, and that you’ll join us at the festival in 2023! We at TAPS thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Ted Atkatz