Educational Philosophy
Our Approach to Curriculum Development
At Hold On To Your Music, our educational resources are grounded in proven best practices across social-emotional learning (SEL), the arts, literacy, and social studies. Each resource is thoughtfully designed to align with educational standards, ensuring teachers can seamlessly integrate them into their classrooms.
The materials featured here are the result of intentional collaborations with leading educational organizations. Together, we’ve crafted a curriculum that amplifies Lisa’s story, using its powerful themes to inspire students.
Through these partnerships, we aim to provide educators with tools to help students explore Lisa’s journey in meaningful ways—building empathy, fostering self-awareness, and cultivating healthy relationships with themselves and others.
“An extraordinary talent, a profound mission, an unwavering commitment to make powerful, lasting change.”
“An extraordinary talent, a profound mission, an unwavering commitment to make powerful, lasting change.”
- Discovery Education
About Our Partners
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The Willesden Project
ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
A global initiative transforming classrooms.
Inspired by the power of story to transform lives, this groundbreaking initiative combines testimony, technology, and music to reshape Holocaust education.
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The Willesden Project brings the power of music and story to reach young people globally and contribute to their development as knowledgeable, empathetic and resilient individuals.
The Willesden Project, a program of the USC Shoah Foundation and Hold On To Your Music Foundation with support from the Koret Foundation, expands the reach of Lisa Jura’s story of survival, resilience, and triumph as she struggles to come of age separated from her family during World War II, as originally shared by her daughter, author and concert pianist Mona Golabek, in The Children of Willesden Lane books and musical performances.
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USC Shoah Foundation
ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
The USC Shoah Foundation, with its award-winning IWitness website, offers multimedia learning opportunities based on the personal accounts of witnesses to genocide. The Institute’s mission is to develop understanding, empathy and respect through testimony.
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The Koret Foundation
ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
The Koret Foundation is committed to strengthening the Bay Area and supporting the Jewish community in the U.S. and Israel through strategic grantmaking to outstanding organizations. Grounded in historical Jewish principles and traditions, and dedicated to humanitarian values, the Foundation is committed to innovation, testing new ideas, and serving as a catalyst by bringing people and organizations together to help solve societal and systemic problems of common concern.
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Echoes & Reflections
OUR PARTNER IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Echoes & Reflections is the premier source for Holocaust educational materials and dynamic content, empowering teachers and students with the insight needed to question the past and foresight to impact the future. We partner with educators to support them, foster confidence, and amplify their skills and resources to teach about the Holocaust in a comprehensive and meaningful way. To learn more, visit: echoesandreflections.org
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Facing History & Ourselves
ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS
Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry and hate. From one classroom in 1976, Facing History & Ourselves has become an international educational organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of secondary school teachers and administrators, reaching millions of students worldwide.
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Using Facing History's rigorous curriculum, transformative professional learning, and distinctive pedagogy, these educators open the hearts and minds of their students; building confidence, empathy, and a sense of agency in the next generation. Our classroom resources and professional development offerings examine racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry and hate at pivotal moments in history and are designed to help students learn about the impact of choices made in the past, and connect them to the choices they will confront in their own lives. Facing and connecting our personal stories to our shared history provides insight into our attitudes and beliefs and informs our actions, helping us all create a better future.
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Holocaust Museum Los Angeles
ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
Founded in 1961, Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the United States. Its mission is to commemorate those who perished, honor those who survived, preserve primary sources, educate about the Holocaust, and inspire a more dignified and humane world.
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National Center for Families Learning
ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN SEL AND HOLOCAUST EDUCATION
NCFL is a national nonprofit that has worked for more than 35 years to eradicate poverty through education solutions for families. We believe education is a shared, nonpartisan responsibility and that collaboration among families, schools, and community members can lead to powerful learning experiences. NCFL’s vision is to establish coordinated and aligned family learning systems in 60 communities by 2030, built with and for families, to increase education and economic outcomes and create thriving communities. For more information on NCFL, visit familieslearning.org.
Read about our partnership here.
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Holocaust Educational Trust (HET)
The Holocaust Educational Trust is proud to partner with the Hold On To Your Music Foundation to share The Children of Willesden Lane with schools across the UK. Together, we have introduced students to Lisa Jura’s inspiring story through book distribution, performances by Mona Golabek, and classroom activities that support Holocaust education and testimony-based learning. Our partnership reflects a shared commitment to engaging young people with powerful stories of resilience and hope.
"The Children of Willesden Lane was the most heart-wrenching story I have ever read in my entire life!”
"The Children of Willesden Lane was the most heart-wrenching story I have ever read in my entire life!”
- Middle school student, Memphis
