Are you the San Diego Symphony, or the Chamber Orchestra, or part of the school system?
Classics for Kids is an independent nonprofit organization, and has been since our inception in 1994. While we partner with many organizations in the community to leverage our resources, we are not affiliated with any other. Our resident orchestra, the Classics Philharmonic, is comprised of professional adult musicians from the Southern California region.

Why don’t you offer programs for older children as well?
Classics for Kids enjoys its unique singular focus on programming for elementary school children. We specifically create each of our concerts and all of our educational materials to be engaging and relevant to children in this age group.  As children grow up their interest and needs evolve, and by concentrating on younger children we make sure that we always offer the best and most relevant programs for these children.  In addition, there are many other resources in the community for music education and instruction for children in middle and high school. 

Where do you get the funding to operate your programs?
We receive money from community donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals as well as contracted services, local government support, and ticket sales.

What is your budget?
Our budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year is approximately $400,000.

What percentage of your budget is spent on administrative and fundraising costs?
Classics for Kids strives to ensure that as much of our resources as possible go directly into our programs for children’s music education.  Approximately 20% of our budget is currently spent on administrative and fundraising costs.

Are your musicians volunteers?
All of our musicians and performers are professionals.  We believe very strongly in offering the highest quality performances and educational programs possible to the children that participate in our programs.  We also recognize the value of the professional musicians, actors, singers, stagehands, and others involved in the performing arts here in our community, and are pleased to support them. Classics for Kids recently negotiated a 5-year contract with American Federation of Musicians Local 325.

Do you work/partner with other organizations in the community?
To best leverage the resources in our community Classics for Kids has many partnerships with other organizations.  We partner with San Diego Unified School District and San Ysidro School Districts to provide access to additional musical opportunities for 2nd graders through a special program that includes training for classroom teachers. 

Other community partners include:
Advocates for Classical Music
Arts Bus Xpress
Baloboa Theatre
California Center for the Arts Escondido
City Ballet of San Diego
Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center
San Diego County Office of Education

If you charge for tickets, why do you need to raise money?
The $6 cost per student ticket is well below the actual cost to our organization to provide the high-quality artistic and educational programs offered.  To reach out to all children, regardless of their financial resources, Classics for Kids continues to maintain its subsidized $6 tickets for school children.  This year our “Mini Maestro Program” provides 7,000 FREE tickets to first-time participating schools.  We rely on community support to fill the gap between our costs and what we charge students.