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Success Story

The San Francisco Symphony's dedication to enrich, serve, and shape the cultural life of its community is as important today as it was in 1911. The Symphony knows that music lovers of tomorrow are molded today. To fill the gap left by cuts in school music programs, the Symphony provides the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra today. In 1988, the Symphony established the innovative Adventures in Music education program (AIM), which introduces music to every first- through fifth-grade child in the San Francisco Unified School District. In 2002, the Symphony launched SFSKids.org, a comprehensive and interactive online music education resource for children, schools, and families. Nearly 30,000 students throughout the Bay Area hear the San Francisco Symphony each year in its Concerts for Kids program, which began in 1919.

In fall 2006, Tilson Thomas and the Symphony launched Keeping Score, a program designed to make classical music accessible to people of all ages and musical backgrounds. Keeping Score is anchored by a national PBS television series, an interactive Web site, a national radio series hosted by MTT, documentary and live performance DVDs, and an education program for K-12 schools to further teaching through the arts by integrating classical music into core subjects.