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The arts are doing more than bringing Angelenos together—they are helping people feel better, more connected and more inspired, according to The Music Center’s unprecedented first annual Community Impact Report™. With data collected from audience members and visitors between July 2024 – June 2025, Understanding Impact in the Arts: The Music Center Community Impact Report™ details the direct outcomes of public programs presented for Los Angeles residents and visitors by TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming division.
In 2019, The Music Center embarked on the first-of-its-kind process to measure the social impact of its numerous public programs, including both paid-ticketed and free performances and experiences. The work culminated in The Music Center inaugural Community Impact Report™, providing the most comprehensive assessment to date of how TMC Arts’ year-round programs benefit the many communities the organization serves in Los Angeles County. More than 5,000 people responded to the surveys from the 416,638 people who participated in TMC Arts programs in 2024 – 2025; more than one-fifth (21%) of those who participated in these programs were first-time visitors to L.A.’s performing arts center. Approximately 86% of them attended a free program.
Special social impact findings about participants’ experiences include:
- 93% said they felt they could be themselves at The Music Center;
- 90% believed the programs fostered a sense of community;
- 89% said the programs encouraged social interaction;
- 89% indicated they expressed themselves creatively at a participatory program;
- 87% felt their overall wellbeing improved; and
- 78% felt creative or creatively inspired.
“These findings overwhelmingly support what we, at The Music Center, have long believed: the arts make people’s lives better. They offer joy, combat loneliness, strengthen wellbeing and create the connections that help communities thrive,” said Rachel S. Moore, president & CEO of The Music Center. “We developed this evaluation methodology not only to attempt to validate that theory, but also to gauge the quality of the experiences we are offering Angelenos and to assess our progress towards achieving our vision to deepen their cultural lives. We are committed to using what we learn from this assessment to help ensure our programs are even more relevant and impactful for all people of Los Angeles County.”
The 45-page report also details the demographics of the audiences TMC Arts programming reached and what steps the organization is taking to expand and further diversify its audiences. For example, while traditional dance performances nationally have often struggled with inclusivity because audiences do not always reflect the diversity of the communities these performances aim to serve, TMC Arts has made an intentional effort to present more culturally diverse dance companies and dance forms as part of its Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center series. As a result, TMC Arts discovered in its surveys that 17% of dance attendees identified as Black or African American—more than double the share (7.6%) of Black or African American residents living in Los Angeles County. The Music Center welcomed even higher rates of Black or African American audience members for dance engagements performed by predominantly Black and African American dance companies; more than 38% of the audience members for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and nearly a quarter (23.7%) of audiences for Urban Bush Women identified as Black or African American.
Another notable statistic from the report: the surveys collectively show that Music Center’s public programs (independent of school-based programs) serve more older adults, aged 55 and over, compared to Los Angeles County’s total population. Approximately 15% of adults, aged 55 to 64, live in the county, yet more than 20% of them visited The Music Center. Nearly 17% of guests surveyed were between 65 and 74 years old, whereas only 11% of the county’s population represent the same age range—a significant 6% difference. On the other end of the spectrum, surveys show that some programs serve higher levels of younger Angelenos and visitors.
Despite the impact of TMC Arts programming, the report offers a candid assessment of how The Music Center can improve and fulfill its mission to “champion the arts in Los Angeles County people” and “embrace audiences, participants, visitors and community members from all backgrounds.” With nearly half of the 10 million residents in Los Angeles identifying as Latino, Hispanic or under 35 years old, the report prompts TMC Arts to create deeper engagement with those sectors, particularly at a time when younger generations are shaping the region’s cultural future. Additionally, TMC Arts will strive to boost participation by residents who live in Supervisorial District 4, including Torrance, Long Beach and the South Bay.
The report also shares The Music Center’s internal impact-measurement method known as TMC Arts’ Theory of Change. Launched in 2024, the Theory of Change serves as a visual roadmap to help the organization examine how its programming translates into outcomes for participants and the communities The Music Center aims to serve. TMC Arts collects and incorporates the data into an ongoing cycle of measurement, reflection (“debriefs”) and program adjustments.
“Impact measurement is ultimately about accountability,” said Julia Diamond, senior vice president of TMC Arts. “As the steward of a Los Angeles County facility, we have a responsibility to understand whom we are reaching, how people experience our programs and where we need to evolve. We are proud of the progress reflected in this report, and we are equally committed to using what we learn to reach more Angelenos because the arts should reflect and respond to L.A.’s rich diversity. When we bring more diverse voices, cultures and experiences to our stages, theatres and outdoor spaces, we create more opportunities for our guests to experience joy and feel they belong here. We believe this sense of belonging is a cornerstone of our individual and community wellbeing.”
The report’s findings include attendance and participation data. Surveys were collected through QR codes, email and onsite at events and performances.
Read more of The Music Center’s Community Impact Report™ at musiccenter.org/impact
ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTER
As L.A.’s performing arts center, The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The $80 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Gloria Molina Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, participatory dancing experiences, free and low-cost public concerts and events, live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Gloria Molina Grand Park, which comprise $3 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.
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