Crossroads School is a K-12 independent school located in Santa Monica, Calif. that provides a unique program built on a progressive, developmental model of education. Creative expression is an essential element of a Crossroads education as well as one of the School’s five founding commitments. You can find our fifth graders reciting Shakespeare, our Middle Schoolers throwing pottery, our Upper Schoolers performing at Carnegie Hall and breaking into spontaneous rap battles in the Alley. In our dance studios, recital space, theater, art classrooms and gallery, students find outlets for their ideas and emotions; develop communication skills; plan and implement interdisciplinary projects; and revel in the joy of creation. The Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute (EMMI) is a renowned high school music program. In addition to the outstanding college preparatory academic offerings at Crossroads, EMMI students study music theory, harmony, analysis, counterpoint, rhythm and ear training at the conservatory/college level. Chamber Orchestra classes meet twice a week and culminate in four annual concerts. Chamber Music classes also meet twice a week, and ensembles are coached by prominent Los Angeles musicians, culminating in two concerts a year. Solo recitals are presented monthly.   Students participate in master classes given by leading American and international artists. EMMI incorporates creative elements into the program, including improvisation, composition techniques and arrangement. As part of EMMI’s progressive curriculum, students attend cross-genre workshops throughout the year, including blues and jazz, Celtic styles and Carnatic music. In harmony with the Crossroads philosophy of developing each student’s full human potential, EMMI students attend symposiums on topics ranging from physical wellness and injury prevention to musical entrepreneurship for the 21st century.   EMMI has performed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Bing Theater at USC and, most recently, at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Graduates of this outstanding program have gone on to prolific careers as concert masters, composers, opera singers and recording artists.   The Institute was named in honor of the late Elizabeth Heller Mandell, a Crossroads grandmother and parent of alumni as well as a former Trustee of the School.