Stories of Impact: Arts+

Arts+ was founded as Community School of the Arts in 1969 by Henry Bridges, the organist and choir director of the First Presbyterian Church in Uptown Charlotte. He envisioned the program after realizing the church had 15 unused pianos in its basement and was surrounded by an urban neighborhood with children who could benefit from, but could not afford, high-quality music lessons.

In the inaugural year, Henry recruited four of the finest piano teachers in Charlotte and accepted 20 children from more than 150 applications. Students received free instruction five days a week, learning through private lessons, supervised practice, choir, sight singing, and music theory.

To this day, our mission is to unleash creativity, transform lives, and build community through outstanding and accessible arts education.

We offer instruction in music and visual art for both children and adults that is designed to provide access to outstanding arts education plus all the benefits it brings, including skills in teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. Our programs include private lessons, 1-day group workshops, 6-week group classes, camps, community festivals, Carolina Suzuki Strings, Charlotte Youth Choir, Studio 345, Project Harmony, and Design to Dollars. 

Each year, we are proud to deliver high-quality arts education to thousands of students. As a result of our extensive outreach programs, financial aid, community partnerships, and supporters, a majority of our students receive their education for free or at a reduced cost.

Arts+ is also in the middle of an exciting capital campaign to renovate and upfit the former Plaza Presbyterian Church to become the new Arts+ Community Campus, allowing us to serve even more students, create new programs, and better support our creative community. 

We invite you to see the history and impact of Arts+ here and check out our recent accomplishments in our Fiscal Year 2025 Impact Report.