The Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County believes the arts enhance the lives of all people and are crucial to the development of every child. The arts are a powerful tool to communicate our own ideas and to understand the perspectives and experiences of others. Accordingly, outstanding arts experiences and learning opportunities should be available throughout our community and in all schools.

Quality arts education requires a comprehensive and rigorous approach to teaching and learning in and through music, theatre, dance, and visual arts, as well as interdisciplinary and multi-media work. With such programs in place, schools can serve the whole child and give students access to a central part of the human experience, to the core ideas and concepts which have shaped our past, defined our present, and will help determine our future. Such programs foster ways of seeing, knowing, and thinking which can enhance creativity, innovation and appreciation for all cultures. As students gain skills and knowledge in the arts, they also gain new ways to approach other school subjects.

Read the Annual Music Center Education Reports.

Our Mission

The Music Center's educational mission is two-fold:

• To extend the Music Center's commitment to the community by engaging people in the arts - at the Center, and in schools throughout Los Angeles County.
• To advance arts education as an integral part of the core curriculum in Los Angeles County schools, from pre-school through high school.

Our Approach

As a premier performing arts center, the Music Center has built its educational programs around the unique role and expertise of the professional artist. The power and impact of our work comes from the interaction of outstanding artists with students, teachers, and family audiences. Accordingly, the Music Center invests substantial resources in the identification, training and ongoing support of these performers and teaching artists.

Music Center staff work with artists to develop specific content and approaches that will be most effective in an educational context. The artists selected for the Music Center roster are widely recognized as leaders in the field and are sought out by other arts presenters and arts education organizations around the United States.

Our Values

Music Center educational programs are guided by the following values and beliefs:

• The arts are taught and assessed as core school subjects for all students, supported by written curricula based on the California Visual and Performing Arts content standards.
• Regular engagement with professional artists is an essential aspect of quality arts education because such artists inspire students and teachers with models of artistic excellence and demonstrate the power of expressing a unique point of view or perspective.
• Arts programs combine the highest level of artistic excellence with the most effective strategies for teaching and learning.
• Quality arts education is provided through a team approach, with arts specialists, classroom teachers, parents and artists and staff from community arts resources working in alignment.
• Arts specialists, classroom teachers, and teaching artists receive in-depth and sustained training, resources, support and recognition which honors their respective roles in providing quality arts education.
• Students engage with significant works of art from many cultures, because the arts are one of our most effective means to understand and appreciate current and past cultures from around the world.
• Excellence in arts education - whether student work, teacher leadership, or school-wide achievements -- is showcased and highlighted in order to underscore the importance of arts education for all.
• Effective partnerships and collaborations are essential to leverage our resources in support of our common goals.
• Students, families, and educators benefit from participating in live arts experiences at the Music Center, other outstanding and diverse arts and cultural resources throughout our community, and at home.
• School Districts and individual schools develop the necessary capacity and invest their budget resources to provide quality arts education for all students.

Our Core Areas

Our work is focused in three core areas:

Download Music Center Education and Family Programs Year in Review Reports (in PDF):
Annual Report: 2006-2007 (PDF, 818KB)
Annual Report: 2005-2006 (PDF, 490 KB)
Annual Report: 2004-2005 (PDF, 214 KB)
Annual Report: 2003-2004 (PDF, 187 KB)
Annual Report: 2002-2003 (PDF, 627 KB)
Annual Report: 2001-2002 (PDF, 515 KB)

For additional information about Music Center Education and Family Programs, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.