Kids' Orchestra

Founded in 2010, Kids’ Orchestra (KO) has dedicated over 15 years of service to providing accessible music education, academic enrichment, social and emotional learning, and healthy food to at-risk students in South Louisiana. Our core programming occurs from 3:30-5:30pm, timed to assist working families by creating a safe space for students while adults finish the workday. Students meet twice per week afterschool with local, professional Teaching Artists, receive an instrument for the year, free of charge, and have the opportunity to perform in at least two community concerts each year. 

Today, Kids’ Orchestra has 16 board and advisory members, eight full-time staff, and over 110 part-time staff running day-to-day operations. In the 2024-2025 school year, KO provided 2,015 music lessons across 18 afterschool sites and community classes for over 52,830 hours of individual instruction. In the 2025-2026 school year, KO expanded into Jefferson Parish Schools, providing afterschool music education on both the Eastbank and Westbank. In the upcoming school year, we will expand further, including into Orleans Parish Schools. 

KO programming has been proven to encourage success and show quantitative gains in academic and social measures. According to 2024-2025 data from partner school districts, Kids’ Orchestra students demonstrate higher academic scores than non-KO students in ELA (+10%), Math (+7%), Social Studies (+5.8%), Science (+5.7%), and the LEAP test (+29 points).  According to student and family surveys, 89% of students believed they could face challenges and succeed, 80% of families reported seeing a boost in their child’s self-confidence, and 84% of students say they felt happy and supported while participating in KO.

In a regional culture defined by music, KO supports the preservation of our musical heritage while nurturing the next generation of citizens and providing students with a creative outlet during the afterschool hours. Your gift today helps us prioritize serving students and schools with the most need, and offer income-based tuition on a sliding scale - covering up to 97.25% of tuition.