She later moved to a rented house at 1553½ East 33rd Street in Los Angeles for a number of years and began her illustrious career as a musician, composer, band leader and music teacher mostly at her Hightower Music Studio and Conservatory in Los Angeles, California, on Vernon Avenue between Mettler Street and Towne Avenue.
Almost every community in the United States had a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency, which especially benefited rural and Western populations.
Hightower purchased a half-acre of property at 466 East Vernon Avenue[7] on July 14, 1943, where she had rental apartments and a Music Studio Conservatory constructed from a four-car garage.
She was also the great aunt of alto saxophonist and vocalist Vi Redd,[8] and was known as Aunt Alma to her many nieces and nephews, "Bamma" to the three children (Clifford Allan, Walter Michael and Deborah Juliana) of her adopted daughter Minnie Moore Hightower; and Mrs. Hightower to the many students who studied music with her.
[9] The group was called The Four Queens and included Elyse Blye on piano, Doris Jarrett on bass, Minnie on alto sax and Clora Bryant on trumpet.