Ulises Bella, LACHSA Music ’93, is one of the founding members of the LA-based rock band Ozomatli, one of Los Angeles’ most vibrant and culturally expressive bands. They are celebrated for their genre-blending sound, political consciousness, and electrifying live performances. Beginning in 1995, they’ve spent over three decades shaping a musical identity that mirrors the diversity and energy of their hometown, Los Angeles. Ulises took the time out of his busy schedule to talk with the LACHSA Foundation about his time at LACHSA and how it influenced and inspired him.

He told us that when he attended, LACHSA was still fairly new. He was excited to apply because he loved that it was on a college campus and the music department had an experimental nature. He had experience already on the Cal State LA campus as he participated in the Saturday conservatory program through LAUSD throughout his middle school education. This made him very comfortable applying to LACHSA and he was excited at the possibility of getting to work with other driven student artists.

He said that the coolest thing about LACHSA is the “conservatory vibe” of the school. He loved that he got to surround himself with like-minded people who shared the interest in the arts. He says he was inspired by the level of talent at the school every day, and it helped him to get better by providing a dose of healthy competition, as there were serious players already at the school.

He also loved the experimental nature of the school, and of the music program in particular. Students had the chance to play avant garde pieces, such as works by John Cage. They were even tasked with creating their own avant garde piece using a goldfish as a guide—when the goldfish swam up to the top of the bowl the instrumentation would go up, and when it swam down, the instrumentation would go down. He said it was very cool and cutting edge for that time, and something he knew no other school was doing. He noted that the school taught him to think outside the box and not to be afraid to try new and different things artistically. He told us that LACHSA “cracked that open early on” and allowed him to see that music has no boundaries. And that the school set him up to express himself and be fulfilled musically.

“LACHSA being a free, public school provided me with the opportunity and resources to do what I do today,” he told us.

Growing up in Bell (South East LA), he loved that the school was mixed socioeconomically and culturally. He got to “mix it up with all kinds of people” and had friends from all over LA County. He called it “a gumbo of experiences!” and told us that the environment at LACHSA makes you realize how much more there is outside your neighborhood. “It opens your eyes, and then add in art, and wow!”

Ulises Bella with the members of Ozomatli.

He loved that the school was diverse in every way, not just socioeconomically and culturally, but also in musical tastes and lifestyle. And students got to express those differences freely because of the freedom offered by the school. “Freedom was so important. What you did with it was on you to take advantage of all the things that were there.”

Coming from a family that was already political, the school allowed him to strengthen and challenge what he already felt. He loved that his fellow students would “really stand up for what they believed in,” and said the diversity of opinions “strengthened the development of the person I’ve become, both politically and socially. Freedom of expression in the arts allows for overall freedom of expression.”

He remains grateful that LACHSA is free to attend. “It takes a school like LACHSA to be able to unlock the potential, ideas, and evolution as an artist. The stuff we were doing and being exposed to stacked against the best private schools there are. It was everything.”

Because of that, Ulises remains a huge proponent and champion of public music education and arts education, telling us “It’s what’s given me the opportunity to do what I do.” He continues to be very grateful for that formative time at LACHSA and we are just as grateful to count him as one of the incredible LACHSA alumni.