The Lancaster Performing Arts Center and the LPAC Foundation have teamed to bring 30 school-site outreaches to students across the Antelope Valley at no cost to the students or schools.

The outreaches are funded by the foundation through various donor programs under the Arts for Youth umbrella, including the Friends of the Lancaster Performing Arts Center Foundation, and coordinated by LPAC with both national children's theatre companies and local arts groups.

Lou Bozigian, president of the Lancaster Performing Arts Center Foundation, said, "In a time when funding for programs in schools is cut, more and more kids are not graduating, class sizes are rising while test scores are dropping and the economic times are presenting difficult choices to families and organizations, the Lancaster Performing Arts Center Foundation is even more committed to providing increased support to educational arts programs at low or no cost to students."

The first outreaches of the 2008-2009 performance season were two music workshops presented by active local musician and conductor of the Antelope Valley Jazz Ensemble, Lee Matalon, at Joe Walker Junior High School and Quartz Hill High School Oct. 3.

Schools and performers interested in participating in the outreach program should contact education administrator Bobbi Keay at 661-723-5876 or rentaled@lpac.org.

Those interested in contributing to event funding should contact Janice Smith at 661-723-6087 or jsmith@cityoflancasterca.org.

Other planned outreaches include six interactive workshops presented by Missoula Children's Theatre, including "The Rhythm is Gonna Get You," exploring simple sounds and rhythms, and "Let's Make Up," a stage makeup clinic; one lecture/demo about the history and art of theatrical puppetry presented by Jim Gamble Marionettes; three "Let's Make a Ballet" interactive dance workshops presented by Antelope Valley Ballet; two slam poetry clinics presented by the Mayhem Poets anda minimum of six music and writing seminars presented by Ken Waldman, Alaska's Fiddling Poet.

The Lancaster Performing Arts Center is part of the City of Lancaster's Parks, Recreation and Arts Department and is located at 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. in downtown Lancaster.