The Music Van arrives every year and travels to elementary schools in the Santa Maria Valley
The Music Van
Each year between April and June the Philharmonic’s Music Van loads up a Toyota van with musical instruments and visits nearly twenty local elementary schools. More than 2,000 mostly under-served children have an opportunity to not only learn about classical music instruments through an engaging hour-long program, but everyone has an opportunity to try one out as well!
The Music Van runs on volunteers. The musical background is not required! We visit schools during the mornings in April, May, and part of June. You can come out to help as often or as little as is convenient. Entering these classrooms is bringing the magic of music to children. There is nothing like spending a few hours opening a door for kids to have a new experience, one which might lead them to wonder, “what would it be like to learn to play that?” If you would like to share your love of music with our Valley’s children, contact us to volunteer today!
Use of the van is donated by Toyota-Scion of Santa Maria for the nine-weeks of the program’s operation.




Because [music] is so limited in the schools, the philharmonic feels like it is our responsibility to introduce kids to music and try to keep them engaged. Janet Hillson, Operations Manager of the Santa Maria Philharmonic
The music van provides an exciting time for the kids to hear these instruments, see them, find out what they might want to play in fourth grade when they have the option of joining the band. Niccole Wiseman, coordinator of curriculum and instruction for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District