This year we are thrilled to present Blast!, winner of the 2001 Tony Award for Best Theatrical Event and the 2001 Emmy Award for Best Choreography. Blast! offers a unique blend of talents that are part marching band, part color guard and part jam session, with perfectly synchronized choreography and dance. Following each performance, all the attending students assemble on the Music Center Plaza to perform a short dance incorporating material from the production.

Invitations are mailed to schools in the Fall and reservations are accepted on a first come basis. Participating schools receive curriculum materials and classroom activities to prepare students for the performance, as well as instructions for the student dance.

The Children's Festival is sponsored by The Blue Ribbon, a support group of the Music Center founded in 1968 by Dorothy Buffum Chandler. The annual festival began in 1970 as part of the Music Center's commitment to engage young people in the arts, and is one of California's longest ongoing free arts education programs. More than 700,000 children have participated in the festival since its inception, and for many, the Festival is their first experience at a live performing arts event. The chairs for the 2012 Festival are Tricia Gray and Peggy Collins.

Thanks to a generous gift from Blue Ribbon member Maxine Dunitz, each participating student will receive a copy of "A Journey Through the Music Center," a book that introduces the reader to all four theatres of the Music Center and the performing arts presented in each venue. The book also includes profiles of some performers and behind the scenes staff, as well as vocabulary and Fun Facts.

For information on how to sign up your 5th grade class for the 2012 Children's Festival, call (213) 250-ARTS (press 8) or email ccf@musiccenter.org