Young Audiences of Northern California makes art happen in schools and community venues every day.  Working closely with a roster of world-class community-based Teaching Artists, we serve children and young adults, pre-school through high school, their teachers and families, in both public and private schools as well as in community and after-school settings. All Young Audiences of Northern California programs are artistically excellent, educationally sound, interactive, and relevant to the diverse populations of the Bay Area.

Mission, Vision, and Values
Our mission is to make the arts – classical, contemporary and multicultural – an essential part of every young person’s education and life.

We envision a world in which comprehensive, systemic and sequential arts programs are an essential element in every child’s education and are offered to all children, from pre-school through high school, during the school day, after school and in their communities.

These essential arts programs are enthusiastically supported by national, state and local leaders, school district personnel, teachers, parents, artists, funders, businesses and all who care about children and our future.

Our values guide our actions.  Our programs and artists introduce children to the arts. Therefore we insist that they be the best in their fields and the best artist-teachers. Our children deserve nothing less.

• We are committed to paying our artists a fee that reflects our value of the arts and our artists’ professionalism.
• Our artists reflect the cultural diversity of the children who live in California, one of the most diverse states in the nation.
• We work collaboratively with teachers, principals, school districts, parents, artists and arts organizations to achieve the best results for our children.
• We never stop learning and believe in the value of continuing professional development for our staff, artists, board members, teachers and parents.
• We insist on integrity and giving our best effort in everything we do.
• We believe that to grow a dynamic and affirming society, we must develop the capacity of our children to achieve in a vastly complex world.
• We firmly believe the arts are the key to navigating a culturally diverse landscape, achieving academic success, solving problems and building cohesive, respectful communities.
• We strive to develop in children a life-long love of the arts.

Arts programming can be a powerful catalyst for change in schools, as the story of MS223 suggests:

History of Young Audiences of Northern California
Founded in May, 1958, Young Audiences of the Bay Area quickly emerged as a leader in arts education in the Bay Area.  In May 2004,  Young Audiences of the Bay Area merged with Young Audiences of San José & Silicon Valleyto become Young Audiences of Northern California.

Young Audiences of Northern California is one of 31 affiliates of Young Audiences Arts for Learning national network.   Collectively, the Young Audiences network is the largest provider of arts education programs and services in the United States. In 1994, Young Audiences received the National Medal of Arts for excellence in arts education; this marked the first time an arts organization received this prestigious honor.  Affiliation with the national network provides Young Audiences of Northern California with access to thought leaders in the field of arts education from across the country.