The Harmony Project

Harmony Project harnesses the transformative power of music to increase access to higher education for underserved students by removing the systemic barriers to achievement through academic and social support.

Founded in 2001 with a cohort of 36 children, Harmony Project began as a public health initiative rooted in the belief that music can help nurture young people’s healthy development. Today, the organization annually serves more than 4,000 underserved students across partner sites in North Orange County and Los Angeles County, including La Habra. In addition to tuition-free music education, Harmony Project offers academic and social support services that help students stay engaged and prepare for the future, including college access workshops, one-on-one counseling, and student-led mentorship opportunities. Harmony Project’s impact has been recognized through several prominent honors, including the Coming Up Taller Award in 2009, the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2009, and the U.S. Department of Education’s designation as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education in 2015.

For 25 years, Harmony Project has helped young people build the skills, confidence, and support system they need to succeed in school and beyond. In partnership with families, schools, and community stakeholders, we serve students across 19 underserved communities in North Orange County and Los Angeles County, including La Habra.

Our long-term impact is reflected in the following outcomes:

• 98% of program participants graduate from high school.
• 98% of graduating seniors are accepted to college.
• 83% of graduates are first-generation college students.
• 57% of graduates pursue degrees in STEM-related fields.
• 804 alumni have received a Harmony Project College Scholarship.
• Harmony Project alumni have earned prestigious distinctions and scholarships through programs such as the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Posse, Gates Millennium Scholars, and QuestBridge.
• 25% of alumni attend Top 50 nationally ranked colleges and universities, including Cornell University, Stanford University, UCLA, and UC Berkeley.
• 82% of alumni remain engaged in music-related activities, including taking college music courses (37%) and performing in music groups (17%).
• 54% of our alumni have earned a bachelor’s degree by age 24, far surpassing the national averages for African American students (14%) and Latin students (13%).
• 29% of recent alumni graduates earned degrees in performing arts career fields.

Harmony Project’s work in La Habra grew out of local commitment and lived experience. Jaime Morales was inspired to help establish a grassroots music education program in his community after seeing the impact Harmony Project had on his daughter, Liliana Morales, an alumna of the program and graduate of UC San Diego. In her college scholarship essay, Liliana wrote, “Through Harmony Project I have been given opportunities that I could only dream of, but most importantly I have learned the value of giving back to my community.” That same spirit of service helped launch Harmony Project’s La Habra site during the 2018-2019 academic year, when it served 105 students, and the program grew to 142 students in the following year.

That growth reflects a real and ongoing need in La Habra. A large majority of the students we serve live in households with incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level and/or attend Title I schools where at least 75% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For many families, private lessons, after-school enrichment, and other fee-based arts opportunities remain out of reach.

Local data underscores these barriers:
• 80% of students in the La Habra City School District are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
• Nearly 25% are English Learners.
• Advance OC’s Equity Mapping Tool gave La Habra a Social Progress Index score of 40 out of 100.
• Only 32.3% of La Habra residents age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 44.7% across Orange County.

These conditions matter because access to arts education is linked to stronger academic engagement, social-emotional development, and long-term student success. They need consistent access to high-quality arts education, caring adult support, and opportunities that build confidence, connection, and a broader sense of what is possible for their future. Harmony Project responds by providing tuition-free music education and relationship-based support that helps students grow musically, academically, and personally.

Harmony Project’s La Habra site serves a diverse student population:
• 54% of participants identify as female and 46% as male.
• By ethnicity/race, 1% of participants self-identify as African American, 1% Asian, 9% Caucasian, 83% Hispanic/Latin, 1% Native American, an 5% Multiracial/Other.

Through our work, Harmony Project helps ensure that students in La Habra can access the encouragement, opportunity, and support they need to thrive, regardless of family income or circumstance.

La Habra