Laura Porter

Playing saxophone alongside Aretha Franklin, Laura felt the power of rhythm and voice to ignite the common humanity of thousands of strangers as they danced and sang together. Playing alongside preschoolers tapping drums and dancing while singing Five Little Pumpkins, she experienced that same power of music and movement to ignite joy and engagement, and create authentic community. Laura believes that every child deserves to be a part of that power and is on a mission to bring high-quality music and dance to all children.

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Laura built her career performing and teaching. As a professional saxophonist she toured, recorded and/or played with Aretha Franklin, Tom Hanks, Roberta Flack, the Temptations, The Four Tops, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Jerry Lewis, The Cleveland Orchestra, and many other groups. As a studio vocalist she’s worked with LA based songwriters and producers mike busbee, Amy Powers and The Transcenders. She’s also worked as a session musician and horn arranger for film and TV.

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Laura’s passion for education developed at Cleveland State University where she majored in saxophone performance and studied music therapy. She received her Masters in saxophone performance and literature at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Laura is an advocate for the philosophy of Orff Schulwerk and is certified in Orff Schulwerk Levels I, II, and III. She is also a member of the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association and the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. Fulfilling a dream to start her own school, Laura is the Co-Founder and Director of the Bloom School of Music and Dance (BSMD), serving over 6,000 families to date. Laura’s talent for recruiting and training early childhood teachers, and her commitment to diversity and inclusion, has made BSMD the most reviewed and recommended music and dance school in northeast Los Angeles.

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As an artist and educator, Laura has seen the significant benefits a high-quality music and dance program can have for children. After the Covid-19 pandemic began, the funding for arts education programs decreased and funding was already in decline. This was a call to action for Laura. After researching different options she decided she could reach the most students and have the greatest impact by creating a non-profit. Leveraging her experience as an educator for over three decades, and the community relationships built by BSMD, she began the Foundation and started serving children immediately.

Laura enjoys spending her free time with her husband and identical twin boys. You can catch them racing around the skate park, playing music in the garage or trying out a new recipe together.