Learn it. Teach it. Change lives.

SFCM in the Community

From our first performances in founder Ada Clement's house to today’s 500-plus annual performances, 90% of which are free and open to the public, SFCM has been one of the most actively engaged institutions in the Bay Area. A consistent flow of public workshops and seminars add to the offerings of SFCM’s growing community engagement initiatives.

Conservatory Connect

The Conservatory Connect Program benefits both the performance needs of the students and the people of the Bay Area. For more than two decades, the Conservatory Connect Program has taken live music into schools, hospitals, retirement homes, children’s facilities, and other places where people of limited means and mobility are seldom reached. Approximately 150 performances are presented each year.

Conservatory in the Schools Program

The Conservatory in the Schools Program provides Conservatory students with invaluable classroom training while supporting music education in the San Francisco public schools. Conservatory student mentors teach instrumental lessons, lead sectionals, coach chamber groups, and assist classroom teachers serving over 700 students in local elementary, middle, and high schools.

Hire SFCM Musicians

Student musicians are always in demand to perform at private functions throughout the year. Performances run the gamut from special events such as weddings and graduations to corporate celebrations. Students placed through the Conservatory’s Hire SFCM Musicians office are paid for their services.

Bridge to Arts and Music

Bridge to Arts & Music (BAM) provides tuition-free instrumental instruction, musical instruments, academic support, and community for underserved students between the ages 6 to 12. Built on a foundation of partnership and hosted at a network of sites throughout San Francisco, BAM delivers an immersive afterschool music program designed to meet the unique needs of its community and offer music training to young people who would not otherwise have access to it.

BAM@Third Baptist Church

This program was established in the Fall of 1988 as an outreach ministry of Third Baptist Church by its Pastor, Dr. Amos C. Brown. After six successful years, the Tindley Academy was incorporated in November of 1994 as an independent non-profit Agency to better serve the total community, especially the inner-city youth of the Western Addition of San Francisco with a quality artistic, academic, and cultural enrichment program. The curriculum consists of choir, musicianship,  group piano classes, and private lessons. Admission to BAM@Third Baptist Church is by application and interview only as there are limited openings available. No prior musical experience required, however the child must demonstrate a readiness and curiosity for learning a musical instrument.

BAM@Music Mission

Founded in 2015, Music Mission San Francisco (MMSF) is an el Sistema-inspired music education program that provides after-school classes free of charge to underserved children at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco’s Mission District. The program is focused on providing beginning string instruction and starting in 2024, will also provide beginning instruction for winds and brass instruments! For more information and to apply, please visit their website at www.musicmissionsf.org

SFCM Teaching Artists

SFCM collegiate students make an impact in the community through Teaching Artist positions. Teaching Artists support BAM faculty to help BAM students establish a strong foundation and foster a life-long passion in music. SFCM students interested in teaching at BAM should apply through the Professional Development & Engagement Center.