Kansas City Young Audiences Programs
Kansas City Young Audiences partners with professional teaching artists to provide three strands of programming to engage all youth in the arts, promote creativity and inspire success in education.
Community School of the Arts
In 2004, Kansas City Young Audiences (KCYA) opened the Community School of the Arts (CSA) with the help and vision of many community leaders. The mission of the CSA is to provide students within our community a comprehensive arts experience that inspires them to discover and develop their unique talents.
The CSA offers classes in dance, theatre, visual arts, music and creative writing to children after-school, on Saturdays and throughout the summer. As a transformational program, the CSA provides a supportive, hands-on, multidisciplinary arts environment where professional teaching artists spark the creative passion in our community’s children and youth. Through the generosity of the philanthropic community, the CSA is able to provide financial assistance for a significant number of students ensuring access to many who would not otherwise be able to participate. Learn more about the Community School of the Arts.
School and Community Programs
KCYA’s original programming (now called School and Community Programs) was established by community leaders in 1961 to introduce children to the arts. This program places the finest professional artists in the classroom to deliver arts programs integrated with core curriculum. Educators, PTA’s, librarians, and community service providers can select from a wide variety of quality programs that are approved by educators and support curricular standards.
With performances, workshops, and residencies in nearly every artistic discipline and covering numerous academic topics, educators look to KCYA to enhance and reinforce their students’ classroom learning. Learn more about School & Community Programs.
Kansas City Arts Partners
Established in 1985, Arts Partners is a unique consortium of sixteen premier arts organizations collaborating to provide high-quality arts experiences to eleven school districts across the Kansas City metropolitan area. Arts Partners is an innovative, sequential arts-in-education program for grades K-12, successfully integrating arts education into the curriculum of participating school districts. Each district participates in the customized program planning process to ensure in-school programming, field trips, performances, professional development, and workshops directly relate to district curricula.
Arts Partners programs are purchased on a contractual basis — ensuring district-wide continuity. Students enjoy arts education tied to math, science, literature, reading, and English provided by the Arts Partners organizations. Learn more about the Arts Partners Program.
