Our year-round music education team is led by none other than Scott Gwinnell - an award-winning orchestra leader, composer, pianist, and university professor. Music courses include the audition-based Jazz Vocal Education and broad-based jazz appreciation program created by Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Wynton Marsalis and entitled "Jazz for Young People." For the 1200 DPS students involved each year, this program may be the only music curriculum they have ever participated in.

We also offer ‘Grow Up Great’ – a classroom introduction to live theatre via classic children’s stories for pre-K and K-5 students, followed by busing to Music Hall for the live performance corresponding to the studied book.

Our team of educators led by Jason Smith has earned the rare privilege of daily in-classroom (not after-school) access to Detroit Public Schools, serving 600 elementary and middle schoolers in 14 schools on a Monday – Friday basis year-round (list shown on our website).

The GM World Dance Education Outreach lecture demonstrations connect budding DPS dancers with the visiting professionals we present, and our High School Assembly Programs tour to 20 city and suburban high schools, reaching 300-800 students at each, with presentations that use the performing arts to draw out a social or cultural topic from our current theatrical production, followed by student group attendance of that production at Music Hall.

All of of our education work is fully documented with demographic data each year and tracked for trends and analysis. Last but not least, the Discovery Series nurtures emerging artists with mentoring & performance opportunities in our Jazz Café all year-round, bringing our total education impact to over 22,000 students per year.

The PIX Theatre was built by George Smith, who began his “show business” life in a production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin at the White Opera House. When the show went on the road, 18 year-old George went with it. Before long the troupe ended up broke in Chicago and George returned to Lapeer. Next, George began playing in theater orchestras in Flint and Saginaw where he met and married Vera, the band’s pianist. In 1914, the Smith’s opened a small movie theater next door to what would become the PIX Theatre. Business was good, with tickets selling for five and ten cents. By 1921, the Smith’s were ready to expand their business, so they built the Lyric Theatre, “the fanciest show house around.” Silent movies reigned supreme, accompanied by Vera on the piano until 1928, when the “talkies” came to town.

Early in 1940, with movies at the peak of popularity, it was rumored that Harry Holboth, owner of the Deluxe Theater in neighboring Imlay City, was planning to build a new theater in Lapeer. George Smith, not to be outdone by the competition, quickly set to work locating a site for a new, modern movie house that he would name The PIX Theatre.

George bought the Wattles Bank property and set to work building a theater that would serve the community for decades to come. The PIX opened one year later on April 9, 1941. Its flashing marquee and porcelain enamel panels were the pride of the community. Prior to the Grand Opening presentation of The Bad Man, starring Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore and Ronald Reagan, George Smith declared that the policy at The PIX would be “strict adherence to just one aim … the finest of entertainment,” and promised never to inflict upon his audiences “such parasitical annoyances as BUNKO NIGHT, BANGO, SCREAMO and – most important of all – never a double bill!”

From 1941 to the mid 1950’s, Smith operated both The PIX and The Lyric theaters, but rarely at the same time. The Lyric was a larger and grander theater, but The PIX had a state-of-the-art cooling system (which in 1941 meant cold water dumped from a well through a series of coils to chill the air before it was blown into the theater). In the 1950’s, with the advent of television, Smith closed the Lyric theatre for good. After years of private ownership, The PIX closed in 1996 and was purchased by the City of Lapeer Downtown Development Authority.

Today, the PIX Theatre still retains its original art deco façade and marquee. Many of the interior elements remain as well following a $325,000 renovation made possible by funds from the Downtown Development Authority, the City of Lapeer and a capital improvement grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Renovation of the Theatre included the installation of a stage and stage lighting system. The PIX reopened as a live performance venue in 1997 with an inaugural performance by the popular Michigan vocal trio, Three Men and a Tenor. The private non-profit PIX Arts Council now manages the Theatre on behalf of the Downtown Development Authority offering approximately fifty live performances per season.

The Potter Center at Jackson College is comprised of the most versatile and complete performing arts complex in the area. Viewed separately, each of the three theatres is well designed, constructed and equipped. Viewed as an entire arts complex, the educational and entertainment possibilities are limitless.

The Riverside Arts Center offers, promotes, and nurtures dynamic arts and cultural programs through arts education, performing arts, visual and fine arts activities that serve and engage the community in Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County, and the surrounding area.
The Riverside Arts Center offers diverse and high-quality arts programming that makes a positive contribution to the image, culture, education, and economic development of the Ypsilanti community. A hub of artistic ventures, Riverside Arts Center produces and hosts various fine and performing artist activities in an accessible facility that includes a theater, art galleries, dance studio, artist studios, and classrooms. With a primary focus on the Ypsilanti community, Riverside Arts Center provides artistic programming for Washtenaw County and the surrounding area.

The mission of the Class Acts program is to present a diverse program of performing arts events for young audiences in the Copper Country Intermediate School District. The program is designed to entertain and educate students and to enrich the school curriculum with performances by professionals from a broad range of disciplines.

SBSO offers multiple different youth programs that vary by year.

We serve up year-round arts-and-cultural opportunities for children and adults from live performances and professional theatre to film and lecture series to exhibitions and classes. And we run a weekly Greenmarket June through October.

Along the way we’ve built dynamic partnerships with schools and libraries, local governmental units, regional businesses, and lots of other arts & cultural and environmental non-profits in West Michigan and beyond. We absolutely believe that “more is more” – and that mostly get accomplished by working with smart, innovative partners.

Pops & Classical Music concerts featuring the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Once a year in the spring, the Symphony puts on a Young Peoples’ Concert for elementary students.

The Ark offers occasional workshops on topics such as sound production, songwriting, and instrumental master classes.

MUSIC FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE Come to Rock, Roll and Learn. Our Studio. Their time to shine. Our program is perfect for kids of all types. It provides some basic music ideas as well as a lot of insight into instruments, the recording process, and also teamwork and character development. Program Description: The program is a two hour program that consists of 3 parts. First we explain a bit about each instrument and play some for them. Then they get a chance to play each instrument. Second we go in our recording studio and talk about recording and what is possible with modern recording technology. Lastly, we record something ourselves! Usually this is a “singing” situation, as this is the one thing in which everyone can participate. We learn about listening back to ourselves and trying to do things as best as we can and our team shares some stories about the world of music and it’s benefits to building character and teamwork.