Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center

As a major cultural center in Long Beach, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center takes on the responsibility of engaging the various and varied communities that make up our city. We are deeply committed to education. We offer master classes, lectures, demonstrations, performance-related discussions, and other opportunities where university students and the general public can learn and engage with artists and performers at no cost. Classroom Connections, one of our longest-running and most successful programs, is targeted exclusively to the needs of the approximately 50,000 students in the Long Beach Unified School District.

The innovative and successful Classroom Connections program has given thousands of Long Beach public school students the opportunity to learn about the arts through hands-on experiences. Classroom Connections is the only arts education outreach program in Southern California to integrate a Standards-based lesson, personalized time with the artist, and a performance-at no charge. Classroom Connections has become an important element in the arts education of Long Beach Unified Schools, serving more than 3,000 students annually over the past twenty-one years.

Beyond the Classroom Connections program, the Carpenter Center's Arts For Life educational program provides opportunities for everyone in the Long Beach area to enjoy access to arts experiences regardless of age, education or economic ability-all free or low-cost.

Meeting a fundraising goal of $10,000 will allow the Carpenter Center to continue to adapt the Classroom Connections and Arts For Life programs to the COVID-19 era. The Carpenter Center will continue to bring artists to Long Beach Unified elementary students, offering quality arts education experiences during the 2021-2022 school year. The Carpenter Center also plans to continue with their Arts for Life programming including lectures, performances, and arts experiences for everyone in the greater Long Beach community.

Testimonials

"[The students] were engaged, intrigued, interested and expressive. Thank you so much for this opportunity of a lifetime. Great to have my students experience this."
- Teacher at Starr King Elementary

The presenters [of the Artist Workshop] were wonderful! My students were engaged and loved seeing them the next day during the performance. My students were engaged [during the Performance] and loved feeling as though they had a connection with the characters because they had met them the day before. I think it is wonderful that my students had an opportunity that they may not ever get. They came back [from the Performance] singing like the opera singers and talking about the performance. I want to thank the performers and the classroom presenters. They were open to adjusting to meeting the needs of my class and made the content accessible to them. Working in a school where the students may not have access to the Carpenter Center or the opera, it is nice to know this program is available to them.
- Teacher at Dooley Elementary

We always find Classroom Connection beneficial to our curriculum. The students always enjoy going to the Carpenter Center and watching the performances. We look forward to coming again next year!
- Teacher at Rio Hondo Elementary