Innovative Center for Music and Arts Education Opens its Doors
MENLO PARK, Calif. -The Community School for Music and Arts (CSMA), based in Mountain View, CA, has opened the doors of its new 25,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Center for Music and Arts Education – Silicon Valley’s first facility devoted exclusively to arts education.
The new Center for Music and Arts Education is CSMA’s first permanent home and gives local residents unparalleled access to studios, classrooms, teaching resources, and performances. The Center houses 17 private music studios, 4 visual arts classrooms, a 204-seat Concert Hall and a faculty resource center. The spacious new building also will allow CSMA to expand its multimedia offerings. Curriculum is being developed for music composition, animation, television and games, and other cutting edge artistic mediums.
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation was the Center’s first institutional funder, and has invested a total of $1.25 million in the project. “The Hewlett Foundation understands the value of the arts to the growth and well-being of communities across the Bay Area.” said Moy Eng, Performing Arts Program Director. “Funding the Center for Music and Arts Education gives us a unique opportunity to help an extremely important organization in our own backyard.” Arts and culture in California support 400,000 full time equivalent jobs and generate $16.75 billion in annual economic activity, according to the California Arts Council.
“The early support of the Hewlett Foundation was instrumental to accomplishing our goal,” said Angela McConnell, CSMA’s Executive Director. “The Hewlett Foundation funding gave us a strong base of support from which to launch a thriving and ultimately successful campaign.”
Access to art for all is the guiding principle of CSMA’s work. Since 1968 it has brought arts education and performances to Silicon Valley residents of all ages, experience, interests, and economic levels. The first classes in the new Center for Music and Arts Education facility at 230 San Antonio Circle in Mountain View began on January 5 and a premiere gala benefit is scheduled for March 6, followed by a community grand opening celebration from March 18-21. For more information, go to www.arts4all.org.
The Performing Arts Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is founded on the premise that the experience, understanding, and appreciation of artistic expression give value, meaning, and enjoyment to people’s lives. Its mission is to support artistic expression and its enjoyment through grantmaking aimed at supporting high-quality, high performing San Francisco Bay Area organizations and to achieve this through the following broad objectives:
Stimulating increased access to and participation in the arts
Increasing exposure to and understanding of diverse cultural expressions
Enhancing opportunities for creative expression for both artists and audiences
Promoting long-term organizational health