Why I Choose to Give
“Crowden School is a unique and extraordinary resource for children interested in music and it transformed our son’s life. Today, he runs a studio that provides sound design, post production and scoring to film companies. All of that germinated a long time ago in middle school where he went with 40 other children under the helm of the great Anne Crowden. Just miraculous!”
—Myriam and Richard Misrach, alumni parents
“I give to Crowden’s Community Programs because I live in the neighborhood and Crowden strengthens the musical ecosystem beyond the school itself.”
Liz Varnhagen, donor since 2011
ARTISTS ON CAMPUS
SHARING THE STAGE STRONGER BONDS
This November, Crowden hosted a combined Crowden Showcase at Maybeck Studio, uniting K-8 students with adult chamber musicians from Community Education on the same stage The evening created an opportunity for students and adults to meet, perform alongside each other, and recognize one another as part of the same, larger Crowden community.
With the first half of our academic year complete, K-8 students have already worked closely with some amazing visiting musicians: Gabriel Cabezas, Helen Kim, and Sam Adams. Meanwhile, young composers in the John Adams Young Composers Program had the opportunity to sit with founder John Adams, sharing their work and receiving thoughtful feedback. Leadership and faculty were also fortunate to meet Daniel Levitin, a renowned neuroscientist and author of This Is Your Brain on Music.
This year marked the first Con Brio adjudicated performances, Crowden’s new jury-track option for private lesson students. Those who participate receive structured feedback from teachers and visiting musicians.
Community Music Day 2025 was packed with new families, while events such as San Francisco Music Day allowed us to connect with prospective families beyond our campus. Admissions inquiries have begun to increase this year
We have welcomed back more alumni into leadership roles, including service on the Board and staff. Together, these developments reflect a community that remains engaged, outward-looking, and sustained by long-term relationships.
(font)RemDjemilev’sviolintechniqueclass (top)AdultChamberMusicrehearsals (left)EighthgraderNoelle,winnerofthe2025–26KuhnerYoungArtistConcertoCompetition,rehearseshersolofortheFallconcert (right)InadditiontoMusic&Movement,kindergartenstudentsbegantheyearonviolinandlatertransitionedtocello (bottom)SuzukiStringsperformduringCommunityMusicDay (back) Afifthgraderandkindergartenerreadtogetherduringbuddytime
