With support from the California Arts Council, the Santa Barbara Symphony will provide equitable access to hands-on music education programs for students at 22 local schools, a majority of which are Title I. Classes conducted over 25 weeks serve 430 students with instruction taught by professional teaching artists who follow a National Core Arts Standard-based curriculum written for these programs. All students are provided with free instruments, supplies, instruction and transportation.
Founded in 1953, the Symphony is widely considered a cultural cornerstone of the community. As Santa Barbara’s only full-scale professional orchestra, it presents a regular season of concerts that span the symphonic musical repertoire. In addition, the Symphony provides superlative music education programs for students in grades K-12 from 85 schools across the county. Programs regularly serve over 10,000 students each year in all our programs and events—reflecting a 70% growth rate over the past 3 years. The Symphony’s music education programs are designed to provide equitable access to quality arts learning opportunities and are grounded in the belief that the arts are essential to the social, emotional, and intellectual development of every child.