Meet Wallace Hall of Live The Dream Tour Foundation in Larchmont Village

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wallace Hall.

Wallace Hall, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have lived most of my life in Los Angeles where I began my career in the music business as a partner at both SE Entertainment Records and Global Infinity Records. Working at these labels and with various recording artists made it possible for me to see the need to research and create a nonprofit foundation that could use music to unite, educate and heal people and communities of all walks of life.

When I was a kid, I remember my mom taking me and my little sister to concerts to see her favorite and later becoming my favorite Pop and R&B artists. We had a blast. It was so great to be exposed to music at such a young age and the feeling that it gave me is indescribable, except for the word euphoric. I knew at that very moment I wanted to be a musician and work in the industry.

I was already a student of voice and I was also learning to play the saxophone. It was at this time that I realized that I wanted to share the feeling that I had had at these concerts with others who may not have had an opportunity to go to events like this. So, I got together with my sister and my cousins and discussed doing a summer concert series at our grandparent’s home. Mind you I was only 11 or 12 at the time. We all agreed that it would be fun for not only us, but for all of the neighborhood kids and their families. Long story short, we fully planned the shows by putting our set-lists together, singing our favorites songs (using the help of a piece of equipment called a vocal eliminator that would nearly remove the lead vocals from recordings allowing us to sing on top of them), making stage designs and sets, creating our posters, tickets, choreography and wardrobe. We were serious! We used the money that we made from the tickets and put it in the collection plate at church the following Sunday morning.

My sister and I continued to pursue music as a career, in fact, I still work with her, most of you know her as Pop/R&B artist — Nikkole. We began as a group that later morphed into Nikkole becoming a solo artist, but I’ll save that story for another day. It led to some twists and turns in my life, but my sister is my hero! She and I continued to write together and sing together. Actually, I’m one of her background singers and I couldn’t think of anyone that I’d rather do back-ups for. Perhaps, we can tell our story in one of the upcoming Jam It Out! series programs of the Live the Dream Tour Foundation.

Fast forward to today and you have me at the helm of what has become the Live the Dream Tour Foundation, a nonprofit organization that exists to inspire children and community members to discover their passions and promote unity and wellness through music.

It truly makes me happy to see others smile because they have been positively influenced by music and that’s what creating the Live the Dream Tour Foundation has been about to me.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, it seems like we are going to get a bit personal here. I said previously that I was going to save this story for later, but since you asked, I might as well spill the beans. I feel secure enough now to share. Back in the day, my sister and I were in a vocal group together. We had some killer songs! I remember hearing them back for the first time and I got goosebumps. We loved the songs and so did everyone we knew! The snag came when the record company said they loved the songs but didn’t like the way I looked and wanted to move forward with Nikkole. I was devastated, I could see if they didn’t like my voice or they said that I couldn’t sing or something, but no; they did not like my “look”. my features, the “me” that I present to the world. I thought to myself, how the heck do I change that. It took a big chunk out of my self-esteem, but I made sure to encourage Nikkole to keep moving forward. She was upset by it and decided to leave the label and go indie. She tried to get me to do an album with her, but I chose to stay in the background. I really wanted her to reach her full potential. To this day, I will always be right there to support any project that Nikkole does.

When it comes to the Live the Dream Tour Foundation, I have met another set of naysayers, but I have since discovered that these naysayers are of the “hateration” variety and what they think really doesn’t matter. I’m confident in what we’re doing and I’m confident in our programs. We have touched so many people in the most sacred of places, their hearts; and that’s what counts more to me than anything else. Of course, as with any nonprofit we operate through donations, grants, etc., so procuring funding sources is always a challenge, but not an impossibility.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Live the Dream Tour Foundation, a nonprofit organization exists to inspire children and community members to discover their passions through music. Music enhances various educational skills and has been proven to be effective in the classroom. It is our sincere aim to partner with organizations whose mission is to strengthen communities by reaching the youth with methods that inspire creatively and entrepreneurship.

Our mission is to use music to educate, heal and unite; unleashing the potential of communities through our artists and musicians who seek to inspire, empower and motivate.

We target culturally-diverse youth and young adults from low-income and disadvantaged (or underprivileged) backgrounds in the communities in which they reside.  Our intent is to use music to shape the lives and well-being of at-risk youth and communities.  We take pride in being a positive and influential experience for the next generations of musicians and leaders.

Our foundation aims to enhance the educational and employment achievement of those at-risk youth, as well as to make families and communities stronger and safer.

Our programs include:

•      The Live the Dream Tour – which is a concert tour that travels to various cities in the US where we bring
  communities together for an evening of entertainment and community empowerment that leads to healing         and unification through the universal language of music.  We introduce mentoring through social media,             provide opportunities for local talent to perform, community meet and greet with Grammy Member Artists,      all attendees get to experience Hollywood glitz and glam by walking the Red Carpet and being on camera,            and there are numerous volunteer opportunities.
•     Jam It Out! – The Jam It Out series is a program of the Live the Dream Tour Foundation, featuring                        community events, personal development, arts/education, and performance opportunities.

In addition to providing a suite of community services—via an engaging, fun, stress-relieving and spirit-lifting series of community concerts featuring newbies and pros alike—we will raise funds to support the work of the Live the Dream Tour Foundation via t-shirts and other forms of Jam It Out and LTDTF merchandise.

•      Live the Dream Tour Gala Fundraiser – The Live the Dream Tour Foundation Gala is our festive                            entertainment and honors celebration that we hold generally on an annual basis.  At the Gala ceremony we        honor youth and community music makers as well as industry professionals who have lent their expertise            and knowledge to help us advance the reach of our organization.  We also invite potential sponsors,                      corporate donors, philanthropists, etc. to the Gala to help raise funds, which allows us to maintain and                continue general operations of the Foundation and its programs.

The Gala is a night full of amazing entertainment with numerous national recording artists, some of whom tour with the Live the Dream Tour and special guests.

The event provides a magical and unforgettable experience of compassion, love and unity all through the universal language of music.  We bring a touch of Hollywood Glam to the Gala by having a pre-show Red Carpet Event that is open to every attendee so that our Sponsors, Artists, Educators, City Officials, Dignitaries, Students and all patrons will have their moment on the Red Carpet.

The Grand Finale at our Gala events culminates into a spectacular, heartfelt and powerful ending to our show.  The love is palatable, the hugs are warm and the smiles are bright.

We aim to touch every heart in the room!

•      Live the Dream Tour Mentoring – Our mentoring program is designed to support and encourage people to           manage their own learning in order that they may maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve             their performance and become the person they want to be.

We maintain our contact as mentors through social media and other digital means as well as community seminars and gatherings.  We currently have a Live the Dream Tour Foundation App under development.

We provide support, encouragement, advice and guidance using our musical backgrounds.

•      Live the Dream Tour Foundation and Wanda Durant The Real MVP Charity (Special Program) – This is a             new venture and special program that we are developing with Wanda Durant.  We are in the preliminary             stages of setting up the program, which involves an educational recording project where the Live the Dream      Tour Foundation will be prominently featured and will allow us to have a broader reach globally.

We support community music-making which results in immense educational and social benefits.  We emphasize teamwork by reaching out into these communities and bringing people together through our programs.

What were you like growing up?
I was a pretty happy child at least on the surface, I always knew how to make the best out of situations that may have been less than desirable. I was quite shy yet very inquisitive. I always wanted to know how things worked, how they operated. If someone used a word in a sentence that I didn’t know, I was really good at understanding what the word meant from the context in which it was used. I’ll say that was one of my hidden talents. I had an interest in anything science or music related actually, I’m still that way today.

Other than music, performing and being a mentor, I love aviation, model railroading, cooking, gardening and I have an eye for interior design and architecture.

Contact Info:

• Address: Live The Dream Tour Foundation
  137 North Larchmont Blvd., No. 717
  Los Angeles, CA 90004
• Website: www.LiveTheDreamTour.org
• Phone: 323.863.5163
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
IMAGE 1 – Gala Night – Live The Dream Tour Foundation
IMAGE 2 – Actress/Singer- Dawnn Lewis with LTDTF Kids at Live The Dream Tour Foundation Gala
IMAGE 3 – Pop/R&B Singer – Nikkole and Pop/R&B Singer Shanice at Live The Dream Tour Foundation Gala
IMAGE 4 – Pop/R&B Group – The Emotions at Live The Dream Tour Foundation Gala
IMAGE 5 – Wallace Hall, Founder / Executive Director – Live The Dream Tour Foundation
IMAGE 6 – Wallace Hall, Founder / Executive Director and Juliana Bolden, Board Chair of Live The Dream Tour Foundation at YouTube Space LA
IMAGE 7 – Wendi Vaughn, Board Vice-Chair – Live The Dream Tour Foundation
IMAGE 8 – Wanda Durant with Wallace Hall and Nikkole

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.