Music Van
The Santa Barbara Symphony’s
Music Van
Music Education Program for 3rd grade Students
“Thank you for bringing your instruments to my class and teaching us about the orchestra. I really liked the violin and the trombone. I didn’t know what an oboe was, but you guys taught me about it and that’s really cool. But I think I want to play clarinet because the sound is calming and smooth. THANK YOU MUSIC VAN FRIENDS!”
–3rd grader at Adams Elementary
- Santa Barbara Independent article: “Santa Barbara Symphony’s Music Van Rolls into the Classroom“
- Winner of the California Teacher’s Association Gold Award for Outstanding Support of Public Education
- Winner of the Sally Parker Education Gold Award from the League of American Orchestras
A very warm and special thank you to our Music Van Donors
Music Van Sponsor
Marilynn and Tom Sullivan
Music Instrument Sponsors
Nick Rail Music
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
Program Summary
With a mission to ignite curiosity and excitement about music and inspire students to learn an instrument, the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Music Van program provides 3rd-grade students with an interactive, hands-on musical experience led by professional musicians and volunteer docents. Every year this polka-dotted mobile music classroom filled with orchestral instruments visits approximately 2,000 students across more than 40 schools in Santa Barbara County! For many kids, the Music Van program provides their first opportunity to see, hear and play a real musical instrument. With generous support from Symphony donors, this program is offered FREE to schools from Lompoc to Carpinteria.
The Symphony’s Music Van program provides a 65-minute session for each 3rd grade class.
- During the first half hour students are introduced to the orchestra, conductor, and the instruments.
- Two professional musicians accompany the docents to perform LIVE demonstrations of the instrument families (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion).
- During the second half hour, the students are able to try out all the instruments for themselves, with help from our team of trained docents.
- There are usually two one-hour sessions at a school, and students and teachers alike LOVE the program!
The Santa Barbara Symphony’s Music Van program has been in operation since 1978 and utilizes over 20 community volunteers. The mobile music classroom was generously donated by Marilynn and Tom Sullivan in 2002 (vintage Music Van) and 2015 (new Music Van). Originally donated by Nick Rail Music, the Music Van instruments are currently maintained with support from the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.
Register your classroom
Online registration for the 2025-26 Music Van season is open!
The Music Van program will be visiting 3rd grade classrooms from September 29, 2025 to March 6, 2026.
Please contact us at [email protected] or 805-898-9426 with any questions about the program or to be added to our contact list.
Be a volunteer!
Join the exceptional volunteer docent team for the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Music Van program, which visits 3rd-grade classrooms across the county. You’ll receive training to assist students in finding confidence in making their first sounds with all the instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion) that fill the Music Van.
Music Van visits are typically scheduled during the school day and last between two and four hours. You can sign up for as many or as few Music Van trips as you want! No musical experience is required — just a passion for working with kids, and a desire to make a difference in our community.
To learn more or sign up, click here, or contact Emily Gilman below.
The Music Van Video and Mini-News
The Santa Barbara Symphony is pleased to share our Music Van Video which is available for viewing in your classroom! During the pandemic, our Music Education team had to think outside the box and developed this virtual experience for students to enjoy. Guided by docents and volunteers, a video spotlighting the Music Van and demonstrating the instruments of the orchestra was recorded at the Lobero Theatre.
The Music Van Mini-News is intended to be distributed to students as a companion to the Music Van experience, and contains information and fun activities for students to complete after watching the Music Van video.
You can make a difference!
As a non-profit organization, we rely on and are grateful for the community’s generous support to deliver this program to the local schools at no charge. If you would like to help the Symphony bring this program into the community, please donate by clicking the button below and select your acknowledgment to be attributed to The Music Van.
“The Music Van is critical to supplementing in-school music instruction. It sets a strong foundation for the future of my school orchestra and band classes.”
–SBUSD Elementary Music Teacher
A very warm and special thank you to our Music Van Donors
Music Van Sponsor
Marilynn and Tom Sullivan
Music Instrument Sponsors
Nick Rail Music
Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
