History

In 1969, Henry Bridges founded Community School of the Arts while he served as the organist and choir director of First Presbyterian Church in Uptown Charlotte. The program was born after Henry realized the church had 15 unused pianos in its basement and was surrounded by an urban neighborhood with children who could benefit from — but could never otherwise afford — high-quality music lessons.

Henry recruited four of the finest piano teachers in Charlotte as his faculty, and from more than 150 applications, he accepted 20 children the inaugural year. Students received instruction free of charge five days a week, which included two piano lessons, supervised practice, choir, sight singing, and music theory. The quality of the instruction was exceptional, and the organization rapidly expanded to offer tuition-based programs for families who could pay for lessons, in addition to the free and discounted outreach programs.

Henry Bridges remained the executive director of the organization until 1982, when he stepped away from administrative duties and became a full-time piano teacher in the Piedmont Courts Public Housing Project. Henry brought his personal piano to the site and taught free weekly lessons to dozens of Piedmont Courts students. Henry retired from teaching in 1992 but remained a lifetime member of the Board of Directors until he passed away in March 2018.

In 1998, Arts+, which had long been an independent nonprofit housed at First Presbyterian Church, moved to new offices and studios at Spirit Square, providing a high-profile downtown location for School programs. The organization has achieved a singular balance between its public programs, for which hundreds of families pay tuition, and its outreach programs, which are free to participants. From 20 students in 1969, we have grown to serve more than 4,500 a year, and from four faculty members, we have grown to employ over 50 dedicated instructors.

Through our five decades, the programs have changed and expanded based on community demand, at times including dance, theater, and extensive school-based classes. Arts+ now concentrates on instruction in music and the visual arts, offering private and group music lessons, visual art classes and workshops, summer camps and early childhood art education. And, as it has every year since its founding, Arts+ teaches extensively in low-income neighborhoods and provides significant student financial assistance, honoring its founding mission and the belief that an outstanding arts education should be available to all.