Oakland Public Conservatory of Music

Founded in 2005, the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (OPC) is dedicated to providing musical education grounded in the African American experience, with an understanding of its role in developing American music and culture. OPC offers programs for all ages. Our vision is that everyone experiences healing, harmony, nonviolence, and safe streets through learning, playing, and experiencing music together. Our music and educational offerings resonate with the aspirations of our chosen communities and native artists by reclaiming spirit, culture and illuminating ancestral authenticity. Our ethos centers on developing a music teaching and learning environment grounded in racial, gender, and social justice in music education, ensuring access to music education for under-resourced and underserved populations of Oakland. 

OPC brings the rigor, intensity, and high-quality music education of a traditional conservatory with a curriculum that reflects the myriad musical practices and cultures of the people of Oakland. OPC’s goals are threefold: 

• to provide under-resourced and underserved communities with access to the study of music in a beautiful facility with professional music educators and musicians, 
• to illuminate and lift the musical cultures of Oakland 
• to create a safe place where Black and Brown students and teaching artists thrive.