I am very excited to begin my 18th season with Classics 4 Kids! After all we have been through, in 2021 it is clear that arts education has never been needed more. Our children, teachers, and families have suffered a great deal of loss, but programs like C4K's help heal and inspire our community. This season will be special - we will continue our amazing virtual programs while planning a safe return to live, in-person concerts. Special thanks to our amazing C4K staff team, board, musicians, partners, and donors for your continued commitment! Together we will make this one of our [...]

Thank you to everyone who submitted their beautiful artwork! We loved seeing how much our students love music. Judges: Dana Zimbric, C4K Artistic Director Marc Duggan, C4K Advisory Board This Art Contest honors Marc Duggan, who served on the Classics 4 Kids Board of Directors for 10 years. He continues to support Classics 4 Kids as an Advisory Board Member. He is passionate about both the visual and performing arts, and we honor his longstanding patronage of the arts!

STEAM week runs from April 24th to May 2nd in San Diego, and the week is meant to increase opportunities for students to interact with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Classics 4 Kids is joining the STEAM week celebrations through our focus on the flute from David Savage, one of C4K’s music instructors. This FREE video is designed for students in grades 3-6.   David has musical experience of over 40 years and loves to share the science behind instruments. In his video, David explains the mechanisms of the flute and plays a variety of pieces, which include Syrinx by [...]

Professional Opera 4 Kids Vocalists Victoria Roberston & Bernardo Bermudez offer FREE themed Virtual Meet & Greets this April-May. Limited Availability for Title 1 Schools ONLY This program features: An interactive, educational opera performance via your preferred virtual platform Q&A session with the Special Guest Artist Social-Emotional Learning concepts Diverse music selections Each 25-minute program is tailored to the grade level of the students in attendance. Our virtual format works well in your hybrid classroom... just project your Zoom onto the wall to enjoy a virtual guest speaker! REGISTER

Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in human history. The music was composed from 1720 to 1723 and consists of four violin concerti, which all contain three movements following the order of fast-slow-fast. Each of the concerti (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) are distinct in their representations of the seasons and perfectly illustrate the Baroque period in which it was composed. In fact, many music experts consider Four Seasons to be one of the most daring compositions of the era, and point to this boldness as one of the many reasons why the composition [...]

Classics 4 Kids (C4K) and Advocates For Classical Music (AFCM) began their relationship in 2005 when the Education Vice President, Aveline von Ehrenberg, was approached by C4K for docents. Ever since this interaction, the partnership has blossomed into years of rewarding work and strong, mutual support.  AFCM is led by President Ron Bierman, and they strive to encourage young musicians and “build future audiences for classical music in San Diego through support of music education and appreciation.” The group was founded in 1996 and has remained very passionate about exposing classical music to younger generations who otherwise may not have known [...]

California Music Educators Association – 2021 Music Industry Leadership Award San Diego, CA - The California Music Educators Association is honoring San Diego nonprofit Classics 4 Kids with their 2021 Music Industry Leadership Award. The award honors an organization or individual for outstanding leadership in music education, which Classics 4 Kids has illustrated numerous times in its almost 30-year history. Other notable winners of the award include the Disney Performing Arts in 2016 and Macmillan/ McGraw Hill Language Arts in 2007. The California Music Educators Association is a federated unit of the National Association for Music Education that seeks to support [...]

Chances are you have heard of the theory that simply listening to classical music will make you smarter– otherwise known as the “Mozart Effect.” While the basic idea of the “Mozart Effect” is true, popular culture’s countless books, articles, and other reports of the idea are not 100% accurate. In fact just recently, a Harvard University study illustrated that music does not enhance childrens’ cognitive abilities. Additionally, the original 1993 report which led to the invention of the “Mozart Effect” found that cognitive gains from listening to Mozart only last for about 10 minutes. The “Mozart Effect” is shrouded in myths [...]

Dana Zimbric has been benefitting children throughout San Diego County with music education since 2003. This classically-trained conductor is on a mission to make classical music relevant, engaging and accessible for today’s audiences. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music and a Master’s of Music in Orchestral Conducting. In a competitive field that severely lacks leadership positions for women, she is paving the way for female conductors. She has led the San Diego State University Symphony Orchestra and Honors Orchestras with the San Diego Unified School District as a guest conductor and has also served the San Diego Youth Symphony. She holds [...]