All are welcome at the Center for Musical Arts!

We are passionate about quality music education, access for all, and welcoming students of all ages and all abilities. We are student-centered, we respect and include all forms of music, and we work with everyone from beginners to advanced musicians.

You are welcome here! 

Our experience mirrors the research showing that music instruction and experience at any age provides benefits. Music instruction enhances other types of learning (languages, math, science), helps students get better grades, decreases absenteeism, and increases self-esteem. Having music in your life supports physical health and wellness, emotional well-being, decreases stress, and promotes happiness. Our Director of Jazz Studies, Steve Christopher, says this: “Show up. Make music. Be happy.” That about sums it up!

We believe in the power of music

Any student of any age, any musical ability, and any financial circumstance is welcome! We have assisted a punk rock singer who took voice lessons in order to expand his vocal training, guided a grandmother through her piano lessons so she could accompany her granddaughter who played flute, and welcomed a father and son guitar duo. At the Center, we teach people who just want to sing in the shower or serious students getting ready to audition for Juilliard (and everyone in between).

Our Mission

The mission of the Center for Musical Arts is to inspire and connect community members of all ages by providing access to the best of the world’s music through education and performance.

Our history

The Center for Musical Arts opened in 1996 as the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts (RMCMA). Professional musicians, educators, and community leaders Peggy Bruns and Kathy Kucsan co-founded the school with a vision of equity, inclusivity and “Music for All…for Life!”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts understands that music is innate and vital to all human beings. As a regional leader among cultural organizations, we recognize that music itself is a great equalizer, making it possible for anyone of any age or background to be inspired through exceptional performance and accomplished teaching.

We are committed to welcoming a diverse community of students, aspiring and amateur musicians, professional musicians, and renowned guest artists to the festival and the school. Access is a central value to our organization, and we strive to ensure that each person in our community has an equal opportunity to participate and thrive musically.

Diversity – We welcome students who are all ages, backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, physical (dis)abilities, neurodiverse, from underrepresented and marginalized communities, and experiencing varied financial circumstances. Our programming includes and targets audiences and students who have been culturally underrepresented.

Equity – We continue to build on our commitment to providing access for all, to experience, learn and make meaningful music and to promote social justice through our programming. Music has always been a part of great social change; clearly we are riding the wave of a marked societal sea change right now. As an organization, we feel responsible to be part of that wave. We will listen, learn, and work toward this goal by highlighting our student diversity, increasing our reach into new communities, expanding programming to include new and creative approaches to contributing toward the elimination of injustice and to moving toward equity and social justice in our activities.

Inclusion – Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts staff and faculty each have a unique voice within the organization. All in the community are welcome at Colorado Music Festival performances. There is a place for everyone at the Center for Musical Arts to learn, play, study, practice, and participate in our programs.