Lopez: She started teaching music at Santa Monica school in 1971 and can't leave because 'it feeds me'
Music teacher Mary Ann Cummins works with second-graders at St. Anne's Elementary School. “Look, there is something genetically askew,” said Emily Cummins Polk, the youngest of Mary Ann Cummins’ four daughters. Mary Ann Cummins works with Cara Cheng, 10, at Cummins' home. Mary Ann Cummins speaks with high school senior Lola Goetz, who regards Cummins as a major influence in her development. Music, Mary Ann Cummins told me, is language “that reaches deeper into you than other languages.
Source: Los Angeles Times March 21, 2026 11:12 UTC
