Invitations are mailed to schools in the Fall and reservations are accepted on a first come basis. Participating schools will receive curriculum materials, including background on the company and classroom activities to help prepare students for the performance. They will also receive instructions for a student participation activity during the performance. For many students, the Children's Festival is their first live arts performance.

The Children's Festival is sponsored by The Blue Ribbon, a support group of the Music Center founded in 1968 by Dorothy Buffum Chandler. The annual festival began in 1970 and is one of California's longest ongoing free arts education programs, hosting over 700,000 children since its inception. In 1998, through the generosity of its members, The Blue Ribbon created an endowment to fund the Children's Festival in perpetuity. The chairs for the 2011 Festival are Jill Baldauf and Thelma Houston.

Thanks to a generous gift from Blue Ribbon member Maxine Dunitz, the Music Center developed a children's book titled "A Journey Through the Music Center" that is presented to all attending students. The book introduces students to the four theatres of the Music Center and the art forms presented in each venue. It also spotlights some of the performers and behind the scenes staff who make it all happen.

"Our students were spellbound during the performance," said a teacher. "The whole day was a wonderful memory created for these students -- an opportunity they would not normally have. It was cool to see the students get their booklets and start reading them immediately! Thanks again to the Blue Ribbon for bringing this event to us year after year."

For information on how to sign up your fifth-grade class for the 2011 Children's Festival, call (213) 250-ARTS (press 4) or email ccf@musiccenter.org