Tanitra grew up as the youngest of three children in the small artistic town of Fairbanks, Alaska. She left home at the age of 18 to pursue her musical aspirations and to study clarinet and music education at UCLA. She taught music classes in Compton, California, for three years while in school. She noticed the large gap in music education programs available to students of color; they did not have any programs outside the UCLA students.
Tanitra’s four year old son is a strong motivator behind her passion to create musical opportunities for the community. When her son started to play an instrument, she could not find a suitable program without driving through LA traffic. In 2011, she started the Southern California Fine Music Center (SCFMC) to provide quality music education through on-campus music programs in the Inglewood Unified School District. Tanitra also provides education through parks and recreation programs, summer music camps, and private lessons throughout Southern California. She has assisted over 80 low-income children in the city of Inglewood.
Now, because she has more students, she needs to move her music school from her house to a studio in Inglewood. Tanitra will offer regular community music classes that introduce families to the possibilities of a music education. Because her business is a start-up, she couldn't get a bank loan, so she approached PACE for a Kiva loan. She will use the $9950 loan to buy musical instruments and lease the studio.
The academy will offer classes for all levels of experience and ages, infants through seniors. SCFMC will operate two instrumental music camps during the 2013 summer in the Inglewood / Ladera Heights area, saving parents the long drive to other cities to enhance their child’s education through music.