Non-profit of the Week: San Francisco Symphony

By Catherine Lincoln - January 15, 2009 The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) is the latest Tonic Non-Profit of the week. In addition to being a world-class arts institution, SFS has a strong tradition of community involvement and youth education, helping people build a life-long love of music by getting them started young. And one of the most impressive characteristics of the SFS is how many free programs it offers to the community. With programs like Ticket Reach, which provides thousands of complimentary tickets to charities like Big Brothers/Big Sisters, to free tickets for students at local arts and music academies, and free concerts at community venues, the people of San Francisco -- especially the children -- have many opportunities to see a live performance, regardless of their financial situation. Students receive a great deal of attention from the SFS, which has a tradition of outstanding educational programs. In 1919, SFS started Concerts for Kids to give the children of San Francisco the chance to experience the magic of music first-hand. Each year over 30,000 students attend weekday concerts at Davies Symphony Hall. The programs and performances are tailored to be interesting to kids, with Children's Concerts for kindergarten through grade three, and Youth Concerts for grades four through nine. Adventures in Music (AIM) is an in-school program, where the Symphony brings music education to every child, from grade one through five in the San Francisco public school system. The Symphony also brings AIM to students in several independent and parochial schools in San Francisco. AIM serves almost 25,000 students at no charge to the schools, combining live performances with classroom learning to teach children about different music styles, concepts and instruments. For students who fall in love with music and take up an instrument, the Symphony developed Opus, a free instrumental music coaching program in San Francisco middle and high schools. Each week Professional musicians visit the schools, providing coaching, assistance and resources for music teachers, and tickets to special concerts for Opus students. The San Francisco Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) is a tuition-free, pre-professional orchestral training program for talented young musicians from 12 to 20 years old. SFSYO is internationally recognized as one the best, and is invited to perform at prestigious festivals and concerts around the world. And recognizing that kids these days are all about the Internet, SFS hosts SFSKids.com, an educational and interactive site about making and understanding music. The site has information about instruments, a music lab and several radio stations with names like "Great Tunes" and "Musical Critters" that are sure to engage the music-curious kid in your house. As amazing as this list is, these are just a few of the many programs SFS offers for families and children -- not to mention its many magnificent performances throughout the season! We picked these to highlight  because they are offered free of charge to students at a time when music education is seriously endangered, especially in budget-strapped states like California. The efforts of the SFS ensure that there will be a next generation of musicians. Of course, even though these programs are free to the students, they cost a great deal to run and maintain. The Symphony is lucky enough -- or smart enough -- to have world-class fundraisers working with it, as well as generous patrons who provide the cold hard cash to keep the lights on, and the curtains up. If you are a music lover and want to help the Symphony, there are several ways you can support its work, including financial contributions, volunteering and corporate sponsorships. Remember, many companies will match a donation to an educational program, doubling your giving power! Even if you can't give now, spread the word about the San Francisco Symphony and everything it's doing to keep music education alive. And if you live in the area or come for a visit, take advantage of the programs yourself -- that's what it's there for! Photo of the San Francisco Symphony's Youth Orchestra provided by SFS. Tonic’s Non-profit of the Week is a regular feature at Tonic News. If you would like to nominate a non-profit for consideration, please email dan[at]tonic.com. The non-profit must be an accredited 501(c)3. We look forward to your submissions to steve[at]tonic.com.